Cross Ice
by Crimrose4all
Summary: She... is the new girl in town, with no sense of direction, a big smile, and a very fatal secret. He... is an enigmatic, brooding cat-boy, trapped by his own blood. When these two are thrown together by a dramatic, cruel twist of fate, what could possibly await them? Love? Betrayal? Heartbreak? Death? Despair? The chains of fate have tightened on them from their first meeting...
1. Prologue

_**A brand new fanfic... this is still being semi-developed, so please let me know what you think!**_

_**Prologue**___

"Mom?"

The wooden door to our renovated Victorian home creaked open with an eerie squeal. The entry hall was dark, almost as if the shadows were clawing out to me. I frowned into the lack of light, somewhat frightened by it and the lack of response. Not a sound echoed throughout the historic building where I was born and lived for five years, not even a distant creak or groan of the dark wooden floors.

I was instantly curious- and worried. Mom was always home when I got home from school, usually making eyes at my father, who returned them with a passion. A lot of kids my age said that their parents were divorced- a real fancy term that meant they weren't together anymore. But anyone could take one look at my parents and tell that they were still completely in love with each other. Even me, at the young age of five. So hearing no response was something to be concerned about, indeed.

I stepped through the threshold, kicking off high black shoes. I poked my head around the wall that separated the living room from the hallway, seeing nothing but more darkness, and a shadow of the twilight sun peering in through the large bay window. Swivelling my head the other way, I did notice a figure: a long-haired woman sitting alone on the couch, her locks covering her face in a shadow. It was surely my mother, though I had never seen her this way before- without my father, and very downcast.

So, being the young and oblivious child I was, I automatically trotted up to her with a large grin on my face. "I'm home, mom," I sang, trying to get under her curtain of dark hair so she would look at me. She didn't. She barely even acknowledged my presence.

My brows furrowed in worry. "Mommy? Are you sick?"

She did look at me then. Slowly she lifted her head, completely eclipsed in shadow, and even a child like me could see that the look on her face was not pleasant. Her eyes were filled with such an intense, hollow devastation that suddenly my next words became strangled in my throat. Those aqua eyes, usually so filled with cheer and life, were completely void of any emotion.

Considering that she still wasn't talking, I waved a hand in front of her vacant face, though it was trembling. "Mom?" I asked again, my voice shaking. "Are you okay? Where's Dad?"

After a few long, painstaking moments of silence, my mother barely whispered two words that changed everything: my normal life, who I was, who she was to me. She stared at me, that same empty look in her eyes, and simply said, "He's gone."

My heart, usually the pace of a hummingbird's wings, suddenly stopped and was dropped into the endless pit that was my stomach. As expected, my first reaction was denial; my daddy wouldn't go anywhere, not without me and the woman he desperately loved. But then I realized with horror that Mom was telling the truth. The vacant look in her eyes, his notable absence- my father had left.

"Where… did he go?" I asked, struggling hard not to cry.

My mother's eyes flashed with something I had never seen before in my life: insanity.

"They took him," she growled, fisting her hands in her long black skirt. "They took him from me. No…" She turned those mad, mad eyes on me, completely wild and darting everywhere like a frightened chameleon. "_You _took him from me."

Tears did start rolling down my cheeks, then. Big, fat tears that coloured my cheeks red and made snot drip out of my nose. "What do you mean?" I demanded sorrowfully, following her as she suddenly shot up from her spot and swiftly glided to the kitchen. "What do you mean 'he's gone'? What do you mean by 'I took him away'?!"

Mom didn't answer; she was a statue in the diner-tiled kitchen, the only thing that proved she was still aware the mad darting of her eyes. Something caught her attention, and she made her ways to one of the many drawers that created a sort of barrier around us.

"Mommy, you're scaring me," I whimpered, broken sounds of distress escaping my lips even though I tried to prevent them.

She wasn't listening to me; she was rummaging through the large, white drawer, completely focused on her task. I was about to start screaming at her when she finally found what she was looking for, and my voice completely died.

She brandished a large, deadly-looking kitchen knife, the one I had seen her use multiple times to cut meat and cook it like an evil mastermind. She inspected it with a scrutinizing eye, like checking for any imperfections that might hinder her task. Then, very, eerily slowly, she turned her head around to look at me, with a wide smile on her face that was not at all pleasant.

"Muh… Mommy…?" I asked again, my voice rapidly becoming more of a rasp. I backed up as she suddenly began striding towards me, the knife hanging from her side in an iron grasp.

Mom lifted the knife, and it glinted like flames in the twilight sun seeping through the window like bloody tears. That's when I began to run, bolting through the house while dodging any pointy surfaces that would jut out in my way and try to disrupt my path. Even as I ran through the living room and down the hallway, I could always hear her calm footsteps behind me, a rhythm that was much slower than the pounding of my heart and the tears streaming from my eyes.

The fatal error occurred when I tripped, just one little screw-up of my sock foot, against a triangular flap sticking out from the carpet that Dad always tried to fix by stepping on it firmly. Apparently, it never worked. Mom was suddenly right above me, that wide grin on her face creating ugly, unnatural lines that made her seem like a completely insane stranger.

A coppery taste was pooling in my mouth; the jarring sensation of my head thudding against the floor had caused me to bite my tongue. I opened my mouth, to call her name, to scream for help, something- and I choked back on it, coughing up red and staining the carpet.

My mother- the woman that loved me, raised me, adored my father- rose the deadly blade high above her head, a menacing snarl replacing the creepy grin. My eyes widened in horror just before she slashed it down and hurt me, cut me much beyond physical repair.

Just before she brought it down, I let out a cry and she said some words, so casual and clearly stated that they cut me even deeper than the knife.

"No one will miss you."


	2. Chapter I- Bringing On the Snow

_**If any of you viewers are familiar with my writing, you will know how truly impressive it is that I managed to update this quickly. Don't expect this often, because I have exams in, like, two days, so yeah.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara.**_

**_Chapter I_**

**_Bringing On the Snow_**

"Man, is it ever early in the year for snow."

I almost laughed, but then I realized that the cab driver was not making a pun; he was simply commenting on the irregular weather. I still wasn't used to this damp, wet, and dreary land; Louisiana was always humid and warm. Living here was going to be something completely new, a brand new start to a new life.

At least, that's what I liked to think of it as.

"It sure is," I agreed, only because I had nothing else to contribute to this conversation with a complete stranger.

"So she's not a mute," he chuckled, glancing back at me in the rear-view mirror. His eyes were the colour of coal, reflecting the light of the street lamps flashing by back at me.

"No," I smiled, settling further into my upholstered seat. "I just never have much to say."

"That's an odd accent you got there," he observed, and my face coloured. I knew that it wouldn't go unnoticed. I only hoped I wouldn't get made fun of because of it at my new school.

Ugh. School.  
"It's a yat dialect," I elaborated, sinking even further into the seats that smelled faintly of mildew and cigarette smoke. "It's how we sound down in New Orleans."

"Ah, so you come from the land of Mardi Gras." Now he sounded genuinely interested instead of making polite conversation. "I've always wanted to visit. What's it like?"

"Pretty fun," I mumbled, staring out the window. "There's a lot of lights and laughter and families. It's honestly my favourite time of year." Unlike this place, where it seemed like a giant wave had crashed overhead and drowned everything in sight. Not that Louisiana wasn't like that; it was probably my favoured memories of my hometown that made me biased about the place.

The cabby didn't prod me for anymore, most likely sensing that I wanted to be left alone with my thoughts. I had never lived on my own before. Even the orphanage was filled with countless screaming kids, and everybody knew everybody. I had no friends here, no one to rely on. The only person I did know never wanted to even hear my name again, let alone see me. So I was truly alone in this place.

It wasn't like my family just completely abandoned me here; they promised to send me money every month to help with the rent for the cheap apartment they managed to find for me. They even set me up with a job and had all my stuff shipped here. They made me promise to call whenever I could, so even if I didn't make any friends, I always had them to talk to. Though, I had to admit, it would be a bit lonely.

Thinking about the whole situation as a whole, I realized that I may not be starting a "new life". What I came here to do, who I came to see… it was like I was forcing myself back into the old, reviving old memories and scars that should be kept hidden, like the knife slashes covering my stomach and back.

This town, that person… I came here to find myself, the one I had lost so long ago along with my father.

Silently, I watched the small, flying snowflakes slash by in flashes of white out the window. This town seemed like an embodiment of my name, even in late October. I wondered who I would meet here, what I would see. I wondered what awaited me in this entirely new place made of white, mush, and lights.

"We're here," the cabby said suddenly, jarring me out of my thoughts. I jolted in surprise, then glanced out the right side window to see the restaurant East Side Mario's, my new place of employment. The shrunken Statue of Liberty standing by the double doors holding a tomato gave me a very sour vibe, and not for the first time did I start thinking that this was a very bad idea. I was stopping by here first to check and make sure that everything about my new waitress job was negotiated, then I planned to walk to my new apartment from here… if I could get a map.

"Thank you very much… Sam," I told the cabby, checking his name tag and smiling. I handed him the required sum of money for transporting me to here from the airport, and he accepted it with a grin.

"Good luck, kid," he chuckled, tipping his newspaper boy cap down to me in a sign of friendliness. As I hauled my purse and suitcase from the trunk of the cab, I thought to myself, _well, if I don't make any real friends, I'll always have a really friendly taxi driver. _The thought was not very comforting, but it was something.

As the bumblebee coloured car swiveled away, kicking up mush and snow as it passed, I got a good look at the city I was now residing in. Everything seemed to slow down compared to New Orleans, with sluggish people trudging by in the thin layer of frosty precipitation. There were towering apartment buildings that appeared to be made of something like glass, reflecting the scene and unhappy people back at them. I seemed completely different from the people who paced by me, the way I dressed, how straight I stood. Oh, great. I hadn't even been here for five minutes and I'm already an outsider. Now I was incredibly hesitant to talk to anybody, let alone go to school and work.

But I couldn't give up here, not when I made it so far. I would make a life here. Everything would be alright. I pushed back my long bangs from my face, revealing my oddly coloured eyes to the world. They were the eyes of my father, and I was happy to have them as a reminder of the sweet and caring man that I so loved.

Using my back to push the double glass doors open, I backed into the Italian restaurant, earning some odd looks, and even more curious ones once people noticed how odd I looked, wearing ripped black leggings, a light white and gray plaid fall coat that cinched in at the waist, and shiny black Doc Martens. The restaurant was warm and smelled distinctly of tomato sauce and chicken, and I could hear consistent chattering from every corner and booth. Contrary to my belief, it seemed like a homey and welcoming place, with smiling servers and laughter booming from the bar.

The hostess standing at the podium looked at me curiously and smiled. "What can I help you with? Just one?" She asked.

I shook my head, white hair flying back and forth. "Oh, no, I'm not here to eat." Her eyebrows peaked at my accent, but I stood my ground. "My name is Snow Hisayuki, and I'm supposed to be working here starting Wednesday."

"Oh, you're our new waitress," she sang cheerily, sounding genuinely happy to have another pair of hands to help out. "Yes, everything is set for Wednesday. Would you like to speak to the owner?"

"Oh, that's alright. They must be busy," I laughed, feeling more at ease with this young, pretty girl being so welcoming to me. I had to remind myself that not everyone in this world is that nice, something I knew all too well.

"No, I'm not," said a small voice from beside me, and I turned and looked down to see a short and stout woman with close-cropped dark hair looking up at me. Her glasses were completely rectangular and rimless, giving me the impression that she meant business. Even though I was a head taller than her, I was fairly intimidated.

Which was fully justified when she spoke next. "Get out of the way. You're disturbing our customers." Oh boy, it was going to be a long working experience. "Come with me. We're going to my office."

I followed her through the bustling restaurant, dodging servers juggling numerous plates and trays. We were approaching a lone door beside the kitchen, which was filled with white-dressed chefs seasoning, frying, you name it. She pushed the door open and didn't bother holding it for me, so I had to use my back again, which made an 'oof' erupt from my throat. This all felt so surreal, being so far away from home in a busy restaurant with a grumpy boss. I could honestly say that a place like this was the last place I expected to find myself in.

The door closed behind me, and I faced her 'office', which looked more like a pantry with a desk, chair, and laptop stationed in the middle. She plopped down in the swivelling chair, and gestured for me to make myself at home on an empty tomato crate. With an internal shrug, I dropped my stuff down and sat on it gingerly.

She stared at me in silence for a moment, judging, scrutinizing. Then she opened her red-lipped mouth to speak and reveal some crooked teeth. "You're Snow Hisayuki, yes?"

I nodded.

"You're lucky that we just so happened to be looking for another server," she sighed, leaning back into the chair. "Otherwise you would've been out of luck. It's hard to find work in the city nowadays. Now, I'll go over some rules right now, but I'll get Louise to go over them with you again on Wednesday." I didn't even bother asking who Louise was. "First, do what the customer says. If they want something done with their meal, allow it. Don't you dare insult or threaten them, or you're done. Mess with the food and you're done. Sneak anything out of here without permission and you're _done, _got it?"

Frightened into silence, I could only nod again.

"Good. The standard uniform is all black. Black pants, black shirt, black shoes, get it or you're incompetent. We will provide you with an establishment tee shirt. I'm assuming your size is small."

It wasn't a question, but I felt the need to correct her before it ended up not fitting on Wednesday and I just made her even more cranky. "Large, actually. I'm tall enough to fit in one without it being baggy."

She glanced down at my chest, and seemed to think that there was another reason for that. "Right, whatever. So you know, tardiness or absences will not be tolerated under any circumstance. I don't care if you stayed up late because of school and are too sick to even get out of bed. Put on a surgeon's mask and get your ass over here. That is all."

I was surprised by how abruptly the briefing ended, but she didn't seem to want to waste any time. She was already getting out of her chair, and I scrambled to stand up and remain straight-backed in her presence. This was clearly a woman I could not show any weakness to. I'd have to keep that in mind.

She ushered me out the door, and I had to struggled to pick my luggage back up. Just before she kicked me out, she forced a mean-looking smile on her face and said, "My name is Julie Garrett, but I expect you to call me Mrs. Garrett."

Then she slammed the door in my face.

_Mrs_. Garret, not Ms. I pitied her husband, imagining that she was probably like a black widow spider.

I made my way out of the restaurant, trying not to meet the intrigued gazes of all who I passed. The smiling hostess waved goodbye to me and said, "See you on Wednesday!" I snuck a peek at her name tag: Louise. Well, at least I'd be working with someone who was nice.

Once I opened the doors outside, a blast of frigid air blew into the restaurant, and I caught some people shiver. But I didn't. I never got cold, not even once. I didn't know why; when I was young, I was pushed into the snow while play fighting like any other kid. But I didn't feel the cold. It just felt like a soft powder to me, nothing more. I could keep my hand in a snow drift for hours and feel nothing. And it wasn't like I could ask my parents whether my immunity to the cold was hereditary or not.

I stopped by the convenience store next to East Side and bought a map of the area. I was on my way to Crystalshire Apartments, which was apparently a fair distance away. Upon exiting, I would have to make my way through many a streetlight in the east direction, and they were apparently quite big, swanky, and easy to spot. Should be easy enough.

With a chime of a merry bell, I left the convenience store and looked to my right, the direction I believed east to be. I began sloshing through the mush with my purse hitched over my shoulder and heavy suitcase in hand, hoping to get there soon so I wouldn't have to carry it anymore. I strolled under the numerous lights giving the city life, passing complete strangers by who all gave me weird looks.

The sky was dark, little signs of stars peeking out behind heavy slate clouds. Little dainty snowflakes floated on by my face, getting stuck in my hair. But it wasn't like you could differentiate the two, considering that my hair was the colour of pure white snow itself. It was like my father's, yet another common trait with him that I relished.

After numerous turns, stoplights, weird looks, and unfamiliar area covered with towering buildings, townhouses, and establishments, I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and accidentally made someone bump into me. I apologized desperately, and they waved it off. When they walked off, I surveyed the area around me with a nervous expression. There was no doubt in my mind; I was lost.

I heaved a sigh. From a very young age, I had zero sense of direction. My parents had to walk me to school until the fifth grade. And even when I was supposed to walk to school by myself for the first time, using the same route I had every year prior to that, I _still _got lost. Some withered old man had to help me find my way, and then I got made fun of for being late. This time, it wouldn't be like that. There didn't seem to really be anyone around to help me, not a familiar face in a sea of strangers. Then I noticed two men standing a distance away, staring at me with a curious, probing gaze. They seemed friendly enough, wearing spiffy clothes and looking clean-shaven. So I trotted over to them, map in hand, and was greeted with two identical grins.

"Excuse me," I said in my light, quiet voice. They had to lean closer to hear me over the hustle and bustle of the crowd around us. Since they were close, I caught a faint whiff of alcohol on their breath. _Don't freak out; I'm sure you'll be fine, Snow. _"I seem to be lost. Could you tell me how to get to Crystalshire Apartments from here?"

"What's the rush?" One asked, slinging an arm around my shoulders. Chills ran down my spine, and I flinched away from his touch. I was embarrassed enough from having to ask for directions in the first place, and now I was being _flirted _with? It was already a bad start to my new life. "You could just come hang out with us for a while."

I could not believe he just used a clichéd line like that in front of me. I shrugged out of his grip, not even looking back. "Never mind. I can ask someone else." Damn, I was a bad judge of character.

"Don't think so," the other guy said, suddenly grabbing my wrist and pulling me back. I looked up at him with a wild look in my eyes. "You're coming with us. We'll show you a good time."

_This cannot be happening. _I had never seen such audacious behaviour before in New Orleans, men shamelessly flirting with woman and not even giving them a choice in the matter. I put all my strength in my arm and tried to wrench my wrist away, but his grip was too strong. There was a wicked look in his eye, accompanied by an evil glint, and then they were suddenly dragging me away from the crowd, into a little crevice of space between two buildings that smelt like dumpster and cats.

_Son of a bitch. _I desperately and furiously tried shoving them off, using my anger to fuel me. My luggage had been ditched at the entrance to the alleyway, and I looked back at it in despair, my vision going red with anger. This was utterly and completely stupid. I heard of girls getting raped and stuff before, but I never could've imagined that it would happen to me. Only, it _wouldn't _happen to me. I wouldn't let it. I wouldn't let two stupid drunks take my freaking chastity away. If I had to kick, scream, thrash, bite, whatever, I would get out of this. The whole situation was juvenile.

A piercing, cracking noise startled me out of my furious struggling. It seemed to take the attention of the guys away from me as well, since they whipped their heads back and started looking for the source. Then, all at the same time, we noticed it. Branches of clear ice with a blue and purple hue crawling up their legs.

Before they could even demand what was going on, the guy that had been holding me to the ground suddenly pitched forward to my side, landing right on his head with a sound of agony. I snapped my head up to check what was going on, and saw a silhouette of a guy holding up his leg like he had just kicked the man in the back and sent him sprawling.

The other one got up from kneeling and pinning me to the ground in a fury, making a fist with his hand, as if to strike my saviour. He easily dodged with a swift move away, jumped in the air, and with a little spin, kicked him in the back of the head, as well. My jaw was touching the pavement as I struggled to sit up. I had never seen someone move like that before, so agile and predatory. The darkness of the alley prevented me from seeing him properly, though by his height and lean body shape, he should've been around my age.

The two men were clearly unconscious, the first one with blood pooling under his head. I shivered at how familiar the sight looked to me, since I had been in a position like that once before. I almost pitied them, but they tried to have their way with me. So I would just turn a blind eye to an incident like this.

My heart was nearly bursting out of my chest with panic and fear. I hadn't realized how scared I was; I could only focus on how mad I was at their stupidity. To take my mind off of it, I turned to my saviour and said, "Thank you very much. I didn't know what I was going to do."

Even in the darkness, the light coming from the city beyond illuminated the rise and fall of broad shoulders. "It wasn't to save you. They were just annoying me."

Well, that wasn't what I had been expecting at all. His posture seemed tense, definitely aggravated and looking ready to pounce at any given moment. Maybe this guy was no better than the other two. Before I could try and make a quick getaway, he turned to me and asked, "Why were you talking to two guys like that, anyway? You must not be too bright."

Now I was getting annoyed. "I was lost, okay," I admitted with embarrassment, feeling with horror as my face coloured.

"Where were you trying to get to?" His voice was deep and mysterious-like, completely different from the boys I had always gone to school with. This guy, whoever he was, seemed very mature, and very strong.

I shrugged one shoulder, hesitant to admit that I was looking for what should've been an obvious apartment building. "Crystalshire Apartments," I said finally.

I could almost sense him raise his eyebrows.

"I'm new in town, okay?" I grumbled, a bit insulted. They couldn't be _that _obvious to foreigners.

"That's obvious," he snorted. My very thin thread of patience snapped, and I trudged back to pick up my luggage and start heading out. But just before I abandoned him in that dark alleyway, he called to me, "I can take you there."

I turned back slightly, intrigued by this stranger that seemed to be a walking contradiction. He said he only helped me because those guys were annoying him, but now he's going to show me the way to my new home? I didn't know what to believe. But one thing was for sure: this stranger, whoever he was, was an enigma.

"Would you really?" I asked cautiously, folding in on myself slightly, as if to encase myself in a protective little shell. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because," he began, striding forward with long, lithe legs. Little by little, light was being shed on his mysterious and tall form, even taller than me. I warily hitched my purse over my shoulder and clutched my suitcase in my hand. He was right in front of me now, his presence intimidating and cold. "I would never even think of touching a girl like you."

He fully stepped out of the alleyway, leaving me and my slack jaw to stare after him dumbly. I numbly followed after him, willing to at least give this guy a chance, because he was a total jerk and clearly had no intentions of even trying to be kind to me. So that meant that he wasn't lying when he said that he wasn't going to do anything… I hoped.

Once fully illuminated by the streetlights again, I took a deep breath to calm my rapid heartbeat. Everything was okay now. I was safe, and those guys weren't coming after me again. I would be alright. With that in mind, I let my eyes travel up to my saviour standing at my side.

And then they nearly exploded from my head.

Judging from his height and form, I knew he was a guy around my age. What I didn't know was that he was an insanely _gorgeous _guy around my age. He was definitely tall, with coiled, lean muscles that showed through his dark shirt underneath his light fall coat. His skin matched the snow falling from the sky, the flakes getting caught in his stark contrast of wild, blue-black hair. He stared ahead with a bored expression on his smooth, angular face, his cobalt eyes flat and emotionless. White puffs of breath were shooting out from his mouth as he breathed serenely, and I quickly gathered my bearings so I wouldn't get caught drooling at him.

There had been attractive guys at my old high school; there seemed to be some at every one. But I had never seen a guy looking like this, all light and shadow in one attractive bundle. I wondered curiously who he was and if he went to my school. He looked about seventeen or eighteen, the same age as me or younger, so it wouldn't be much of a surprise if he did. Suddenly I wanted to know what his name was, and why he was bothering to help me when his expression clearly said that it was only troublesome.

He had been waiting patiently for the crossing light to turn green, and began striding ahead when it did, being propelled to a fast speed with his long legs covered in dark jeans. I struggled behind him, my suitcase wearing me down. Since I was getting a good look at his broad back, I could see a case hitched over his shoulder, looking to house either a violin or an instrument like it. So he was a musician. I wasn't even going to get into how appealing I found that.

"Do you play?" I asked him, hoping for just some polite conversation. We had finished crossing the street when he suddenly made a left turn down another mushy sidewalk.

He seemed to almost forget that I was there, but then he glanced back at me curiously. Almost imperceptibly, his eyes widened a fraction, then he looked away again. "Not professionally," he responded, not looking back again.

"It's still pretty amazing," I mumbled, almost to myself. "I have never heard of a teenager playing the violin before. It must be hard."

He shrugged, the strap to the black case falling down a fraction before he pushed it back up his shoulder. "It used to be. Now I just play it when I want to, and it comes naturally."

I found this intriguing. I thought that he was a completely rude and disinterested guy, but he might be another case of having 'hidden depth'. It fascinated me how he only played when he wanted to, not because he had to. He struck me kind of as the rule-breaking type in that way.

He glanced back at me for a second, then whipped his head away again. "Where are you from? You speak weirdly."

I bristled like an angry cat. "I just moved here from New Orleans, thank you very much. It's a yat dialect."

"New Orleans?" The deep, bored tone of his voice transformed into something that faintly resembled interest. "What brings you all the way over here?"

"I have some… business to take care of," I muttered hesitantly, allowing my gaze to wander away to the tall buildings and lights. Thankfully, he didn't ask for any more information than that, probably sensing that it was a difficult topic to ask a stranger about.

Instead, I focused on the way we were going, trying to imprint the direction and path into my memory so an incident like that never happened again. The only thing that was really note-worthy was a park nearby, with weeping willows skimming the ground with pointed leaves and a little pond that had the beginnings of ice forming on it, little claws trying to race to the middle to freeze it over. I could see couples sitting and snuggling on benches for warmth, and I looked at them with blatant disdain. Throughout eighteen years, I had never had a boyfriend. Sure, I had giggly little crushes like any other girl about the hottest guy in school who was way out of my league, but other than that, I had no romantic history to speak of.

It's not that I wasn't interested in it, per se; it was more like I could never bring myself to truly fall for someone, to trust them wholly and completely. Boys were most likely the same way with me, considering that I had been told on more than one occasion that I was hard to approach. I didn't understand why; I was an open book who had no problem with smiling and laughing. What did they know?

"We're almost there," the guy in front of me said, bored once again. I snapped out of my reverie, looking around to see if I could notice the apartments I was meant to be living in from this day on. After a few heartbeats of scouring, I finally understood why I was looked at with scorn when I said that I had gotten lost trying to find them.

With a blinking bright sign that clearly read 'Crystalshire Apartments' even from a distance away, this place was impossible to miss. It towered over the rest of the buildings, and appeared to be made of a substance that resembled black glass. There was an aura of light around it, the individual apartments shining out and appearing to give it an air of magic. I rummaged in my coat pocket while trying not to stare at it open-mouthed, and eventually managed to dig out the slip of paper my mother gave me with the floor and unit number I was meant to stay in. But knowing me, I would get lost in the actual building.

I bit my lip and looked at the building again. Even though it looked all extravagant from the outside, I imagined that it would be really lonely to live in by myself. Legible as I was to take care of myself, I would always miss my mom's home cooking, Dad's scent as he walked back inside from the deck after puffing on a cigarette, my sibling's squeals and giggles. I was so used to a lot of noise, both from the orphanage and my adopted family. Fear suddenly began coursing through me, from the unknown future and the past I was going to confront again.

"Problem?" The guy in front of me asked, looking back only slightly. Even though his deep voice didn't reflect it, there was a spark of kindness in his eyes, one filled with sincerity and curiosity. It was one rare to find in anyone nowadays, and I was glad to have met this man, even for a short amount of time.

So I smiled as brightly as I could at him, flashing my perfect white teeth that required no dental work. "I'm fine," I said, touched by this stranger's concern and aid. "Thank you so much for helping me. I probably would've been wandering out here forever if you hadn't found me."

"Or been made into those guy's toy," he snorted, and the touching moment I had thought we'd been sharing was completely shattered by his poor attitude. I pursed my lips in irritation and flipped my head away.

"I'm so sorry that my almost having my chastity stolen away was such an inconvenience for you."

"Of course it was," he chuckled, and I was surprised by how much I liked his laugh, even if it was because he was insulting me. We had finally made it to the sidewalk in front of the apartments, and I honestly felt like a fruit fly in their towering majesty. If something wrong were to ever go down and cause this thing to fall, half the town could be taken with them. My legs shook slightly, but not from the cold, of course.

The guy suddenly turned around to face me, and looking at him head-on was way more shocking than I thought it would be. He had a certain mischievous arch to his eyebrows, a little twinkle in eyes of deep midnight. There was this little cat-like grin on his face that spelled trouble with a capital 'T'.

He was suddenly very close to my face, so close that I had no choice but to stare right into his eyes and marvel at the length of his eyelashes that girls must've killed for. I could even smell him, a faint minty scent that without a doubt came from soap, and something spicier and more rustic. My heart was in my throat, eradicating any hope of breathing properly, as he gently lifted a strand of my white hair, held it to his lips, and grinned against it.

"That's my job," he continued, and I realized that he was probably one of those guys that teased and played with women just for the hell of it. Before I could stumble over what would've undoubtedly been a poor retort, he pulled away again, and my face was able to drain some of the blood from my cheeks.

"The name's Ikuto," he said with the same smirk, looking down at me with something like interest in his gaze. "And I guess I'll be seeing you around…?" He was waiting for my name. I didn't know if I wanted to give it to someone like him, who apparently had moodswings like a woman on her period.

But he did save me, after all. He also helped me because I was hopelessly lost. So I jutted my chin out at him to show that I wasn't weak or giving in to his games and said, "Snow. Snow Hisayuki."

"Well, it suits you, if nothing else," he chuckled again, and I had to strain myself not to smack him. "See you later, Snow."

As he began striding away, completely cool and infuriatingly confident, I called after him angrily, "I don't remember giving you permission to address me so informally!"

The only sign that he heard me was the rumble of his shoulders that surely meant he was laughing.

Whoever this "Ikuto" guy really was, he really was a paradox. And even though he almost drove me to drink, I couldn't help but look back at his retreating form only to see that he had completely disappeared. The only sign that he had been here at all were large, guy footprints in the thin layer of snow left by his boots, accompanied by some very, very small…

Cat paw prints?

_**Aww yeaah, Crimrose got Chapter I finished! Please leave a review to tell me what you think! And I know it's starting off slow, but it'll begin to kick of soon, I promise (but still, exams. So beware)! See you in Chapter II!**_


	3. Chapter II- Resonance

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara**_

_**For interesting statuses and intriguing updates, visit www. crimrose-4-all. blogspot. ca**_

_**Please enjoy... and review if you did! ヽ**__**(๏∀๏ **__**)ﾉ**_

**_Chapter II_**

**_Resonance_**

This night just seemed to get weirder and weirder. First I was attacked by and then saved by total strangers, and now I was seeing phantom paw prints? I was surely losing my mind, which apparently ran in the family. Grumbling to myself about strange men and shaking my head, I made my way through the parking lot in front of the tower that was meant to be my new residence.

The lights from the individual units were shining onto the street and glinting off of the shiny surfaces of new and fancy-looking cars, a sure sign of wealth I did not have. How on earth was I supposed to afford living here with the measly paycheck I was sure to be getting from a restaurant? I'd have to call my parents tomorrow and talk it over with them.

There was barely a crunch underfoot as I strolled briskly over the dust of snow on the ground, eager to get inside and set everything up. It was, after all, Saturday, and I planned to spend Sunday getting used to the neighbourhood that I was surely going to get lost in and planning out a walking route to school. Therefore, I didn't have much time to do anything before school started on Monday. With that in mind, I picked up the pace and eventually crossed the entire parking lot and was swished into the foyer by some automatic doors (eep).

Upon crossing the threshold into the warm building, the first thing I noticed was an entire wall of mailboxes to my right. I made a face at them and all the tenants that were apparently calling this place home. On the left side of the entrance was a mahogany door that read 'Management' in some fancy-ass gold lettering. I steeled my shoulders and made my heavy legs carry me over there despite the frantic and panicked pace of my heart. I rapped on the door quietly but urgently, meaning that I meant business and soon, but I wasn't going to be mean about it.

A suave-looking man with slicked back salt-and-pepper hair greeted me with a smile that looked permanently imprinted on his face from abusing it too much. "Hello," he greeted in a deep, polite voice. The office he had just emerged from smelled awfully sterile and like leather, making the scent waft into the lobby. "What can I help you with?"

"Uh, hi," I said, almost visibly wincing at my audible hesitation. "I'm the new tenant that was supposed to be moving in today?"

"Ah, yes, I've been expecting you." He held out a withered, pale hand to shake, and I took it with one of my clammy ones. I immediately regretted doing so once our hands were apart and he tried to discreetly wipe his palm on his spiffy pantaloons. "Snow Hisayuki, yes?" I nodded, incapable of furthering any coherent conversation. "Hang on just one moment."

He quickly darted back into the office, leaving me alone in the potpourri smelling foyer. The walls were a dark, polished wood, the floor a glistening red tile with intricate golden designs. My brain was automatically pounding the words _I don't belong here_ into my every thought, and I didn't realize how true they were at the time.

"Here we are," said the man, slithering out of the office so suddenly I jumped. He gave me an odd speculating look, but blessedly chose to ignore my jumpiness. "Mary and Jack are very good friends of mine. I'm appeased to finally be of use to them." Mary and Jack were my aforementioned adopted parents who seemed to have some sort of connection with everyone, and could always get discounts or coupons wherever they went. It didn't come as a surprise that they were able to get a swanky apartment like this for a deal.

He handed me a key to what must've been my new apartment that glinted like a bladed knife in the lights of the foyer. "This is your key, and I trust that you will take the utmost care of it. If you ever have any problems, do not hesitate to come to me or any other one of the workers in the building. My name is Reginald Brooks, for the record, and my assistant that can be seen running around every now and again- you'll recognize her by all the flyaway hair and cowlicks- is Susan. You're on floor twelve, unit one hundred and twenty-three." He cocked his head to the side and gave me a peculiar look. "Do you need me to show you the way?"

Ah. So he was informed of my unfortunate dyrexia. I shook my head, forcing a smile on my face. "No, thank you."

"Good luck settling in, then. And do try not to disturb your neighbours." And with that, he turned on the heel of his black, polished loafers and strode back into his office, practically slamming the door.

…Was there something about me today that honestly gave everyone the impression that I liked to be emotionally abused? Shaking my head, I made my way over to the elevator that glinted like steel in the light, and pressed the button with the arrow pointing up.

I had to wait a while, tapping my foot and an impatient rhythm and pondering over the events of the night. My job was all set up, so I didn't have a thing to worry about, really. The only thing that kept bothering me was that Ikuto guy. Now I was really hoping that we didn't go to school together, since his personality highly resembled that of a cat's. Haughty, bored, likes to play with things without really considering anyone but himself. Feh. And just earlier he proclaimed he "wouldn't even think of touching someone like me", but then he goes and acts all suave and charming a few minutes later? Man, talk about a sense of disconnection.

I should probably just forget about it. After all, I was now living in a big city, and there was a chance I'd never see him again. Satisfied with that closure, I smiled and nodded to myself as if there was someone listening to my thoughts. I heard the monotonous ding of the elevator that meant it had reached the foyer, and I was about to watch it open and step in when I noticed someone.

The foyer opened in the small, business area, then expanded further into more of a lounge, with stuffed velvety red chairs, oriental wallpaper, and shiny mahogany tables. My eyes travelled over to that area to find someone staring at me with their jaw completely slack. It was hard to define any features from the light illuminating their back, but I could clearly define the look of their eyes nearly popping out of their head.

Tense moments of silent ticked on by as we stared silently at each other, a cold sweat beading on the back of my neck. What was their deal? I was just standing here, and I didn't look _that_ out of place in a swanky place like this… did I? They stumbled forward slightly, almost in a daze, and I was able to discern that it was a man, who looked to be in his early twenties from his smooth, pale complexion and eyes that were completely aware.

His hair was dark, with bangs that fell into eyes the colour of a neon green sign, blinking repeatedly in surprise. He was tall, taller than me by a few inches, wearing a black and white business suit with a crisp white shirt and a strangely shaped pendant swinging from his neck that looked oddly like a snowflake. The eyelashes that framed those two green beacons of light made it seem like he could've been wearing mascara, casting eerie shadows over his face, and almost making him seem like a predator. It may have just been the pressure from all this moving going to my head, but I was pretty sure that having someone like that gaping at you wasn't normal.

It was a few more moments until he spoke, and when he did, my body completely froze as if ice had bloomed inside of me. "Gabriel…?" He said, barely a whisper.

The sound of my father's name coming out of some stranger's mouth got him a good glare and the snapping of my teeth. I didn't want to know why he asked if I was my father, so I turned on my heel and marched straight into the elevator. I was enveloped by a strange, almost orange scent that most elevators seemed to carry, and was trapped in a case of glass, different reflections of me surrounding me like a crushing pressure.

My bangs, usually swept over to the side just above my right eyebrow, were covering my right eye, hiding half of my broken expression from the world. The image of my father, so etched into my mind that it was impossible to erode away, flitted through my mind like a fleeting dream. I clenched my shaking hands into fists. That day thirteen years ago was what destroyed my life. Why would he leave? I could never straighten out the jumbled mess of that day in my head, no matter how hard I tried over the years. He was happy with Mom and I, always smiling and teaching me many things. I couldn't conjure up a plausible reason for why he would even think of leaving.

I shook my head and smacked my cheeks. It wasn't the time to be burning over the past now. It was over with, and he was gone. There was really no point in wondering why it happened, since I believed that everything happened for a reason. Besides, he could be dead for all I know. The thought wasn't painful to consider at all, maybe because while I did love my father, he also ruined what could've been a good life by leaving. Maybe I resented him and loved him at the same time. There was a strange numbness in my chest, further proving my theory that while I had a smile on my face more often than not, my heart could very well be made of ice.

The reflective elevator dinged when it reached floor twelve, and I heaved a sigh as the doors slid open. This was it; I was about to step into my new home. Ugh, I'd have to sort through so many things, trying to quietly move furniture and loading stuff into closets. Moving was such a hassle, and it was even worse when you were living alone and had no one to help you. Pain in the ass, here I come.

The hallway was warm and welcoming, with vanilla bean coloured walls and a crimson carpet covering the floor and muffling my footsteps. Scattered down the hallway in a straight line and sequential pattern were little dark-coloured tables with vases of flowers spilling over them in a waterfall of colours and scents. Not being one for botany, I hardly recognized any of them, except for maybe the drooping pink bleeding hearts that grazed the surface of the table. Which just so happened to be stationed right next to my unit, one hundred and twenty-three. That seemed easy enough. My apartment was literally 1-2-3. I doubted I'd get lost… too often.

Even though my pounding heart was mostly because of my nervousness, I couldn't stop the goofy grin from exploding on my face. I was old enough to take care of myself (to an extent, anyway). I considered this a huge accomplishment, although not much had changed from the time after my mother and I were separated. I was still on my own in a world that seemed to keep getting bigger and lonelier. Not that it mattered anymore.

With a shaking hand, I shoved the key into the small keyhole, biting my lip slightly. It unlocked easily with a clockwise twist, and when I felt the give of the lock, an unstoppable squeal of glee erupted from my mouth. After that embarrassing little sound that I'd probably regret for the rest of my life, I quickly threw glances all down the hall. No one saw me. Amen.

I pushed my (heehee) door open, and a huge, ugly frown took residence on my face. Even though it was plunged into darkness, the apartment already looked expensive and gorgeous from the three large floor-to-ceiling windows that were on the wall facing the street that illuminated shining floors with moonlight. I glanced to the wall beside me, checking for a light switch of any kind. I ended up locating a dimmer, and cranked it up high to check the place out. The frown grew what could've been considered more of a scowl.

Of course it was all modernized and fancy-looking. The floors were a polished, almost golden wood, changing to black-and-white checkered tiles into the open-concept kitchen. Upon entering, there was a large amount of free space, but then in the middle of the room was a small set of a few steps that led into a dented space where I could already see the entertainment unit and such going. There was short hallway further in that surely led to the bed and bathroom.

Now I was all excited. Even though the walls were a plain eggshell colour, this was my own place, and I could do with it what I wanted. There were boxes piled everywhere, my small couch and loveseat that I picked out with Mary prior to the move standing cushion-less in the indented space. I hoped my bed from the old house was assembled in what would be my room, so I wouldn't have to bother putting it together myself.

I ditched my suitcase and purse on the royal blue couch and tromped down the small hall. There were two doors, one on the left side and one on the right. The one on the left was the bathroom, with a black-tiled walk-in shower, spotless porcelain sink and toilet, and a rimless mirror cabinet hitched on the wall above it. I put my face into my hands and admittedly let out a girlish squeal. I had this place all to myself! I was what could be considered an official adult at the age of eighteen.

To the bedroom! I scuttled across the hall and tore open the other door. Sure enough, it was a small space with the same gold wood floors, but this room had a white wall with spiraling gray designs painted on it. My old IKEA-brand Malm bed was (thankfully) fully assembled, stripped, and snuggled into the crook in the corner, with the queen-size mattress propped up against the wall beside it. Bless the movers for getting my black wood, veneered desk in here, too, smaller boxes piled on it where it stood against the wall. The closet was a fairly good size, and would easily be able to hold the clothes I had shipped over.

For the sake of relaxing, I quickly toppled the mattress onto the black wood veneered bed frame, then collapsed on it with a pleased sigh. I was completely alone, living by my own rules now. I was a tad bit worried about being overloaded with school, work, and rent, but I hoped it would all work out somehow. I had never felt so free before, not having to listen to nurses from the hospital, the old hags at the orphanage, or even my parents. I was even happier to be all alone when I started laughing maniacally on the bed, completely filled with exploding glee.

I heaved myself off the bed and made my way back into the den. Poking my head into the small kitchen, I checked the clock of the pre-installed microwave and saw that it was only seven thirty p.m. I still had plenty of time to unpack and organize until a decent bed time. So I chucked off my coat, revealing the light blue, off-the-shoulder top I just threw on in the airport bathroom, and began unpacking.

I started with the bedroom first, considering that I'd be sleeping there tonight. I wrangled all of my clothes into the closet, chucking my pairs of shoes on the floor inside, and dressed the bed in my blue, black, and white bed spread. All of my papers and laptop were put in and on the desk, and I excitedly rode down the hall on my wheeled computer chair and into the room, giggling like a five-year-old the entire time.

The unpacking continued for hours, earning me a pair of sore arms from all the lifting and tearing boxes open. It got to the point where I had managed to push the couch and love seat to the sides of the in-room box in an L shape and decided it was time for a break. So I looked up the local phone directory on my cell phone and called a pizza place, planning to munch on it for a good half hour and then get back to work.

I called it a day at eleven thirty, tired and completely proud of myself for getting so much done. My bedroom and bathroom were done, now all that was really left was the living room and kitchen. Not that I had a lot of food to put away. I then put "Go grocery shopping" on my mental to-do list, figuring I would have to make do with the minimal cash I had left on me.

After munching on pizza that was way cheesier and greasier than I was used to, I stripped off all of my clothes and just threw on an oversized tee shirt to sleep in. Exhaustion was getting the better of me from the way I just collapsed on my freshly made bed, the duvet fluffing up around me, phone in hand. I stared at the black screen for a moment, rubbing mascara from my eyes, then decided to call my parents, despite the time. I hoped that difference wasn't going to be too bad, since they told me to call them as soon as I settled in. I speed-dialed the number and waited to rings before Mary answered.

"Snooooow," she sobbed into the line, her usually sweet and high-pitched voice torn apart by ragged breathing and cries. "I miss you so much already! How have you settled in? Is everything okay? Do you need anything? We did promise to split the rent fifty-fifty, but if money is an issue-"

"Everything is fine," I groaned, throwing an arm over my eyes. "My job is all set for Wednesday, and school starts Monday. How much is the rent here, anyway?"

A moment of silence from the other line. Then a sniffle. "A thousand dollars a month."

My mouth twitched into a frown. "That shouldn't be too bad. So long as I get my salary on time and everything, and didn't they say it'd be about nine bucks an hour when you called them?"

"Yeah. And if you can't make it, don't hesitate to call and ask for anything-"

"It won't be a problem, relax," I chuckled, feeling kind of lonely without her constantly hovering over my shoulder, worrying, supporting. I was really all alone here, and I couldn't trouble them too much. After all, I was an adult. Hmph.

"Did you run into any trouble there so far?" She asked me, probably hinting at my dyrexia and asking me if I got lost.

I was silent for a few beats, reflecting on getting attacked by those guys, that rude Ikuto guy, and the weird man in the lobby. And then I said, "Nothing important."

}{

I jerked awake because of that falling sensation you got in your stomach sometimes, even though you don't remember dreaming. Disoriented for a moment, I blearily glared at my surroundings, then remembered that this was my new room. In my new apartment.

…Heehee.

Last night I had apparently fallen unconscious right after the phone call and discussing visiting days and breaks with Mary. I didn't even bother to crawl under the covers, and I woke up with the phone still in my hand. Sunlight was beaming in through the window in my room, illuminating dancing dust motes and glaring in my eyes. Getting up felt arduous and not worth it, but I had things to do today. So I managed to drag myself out of bed, trudging across the hall into the bathroom and prepping myself to get changed.

One all made up and primped, I threw on dark wash jeans and a white off-shoulder cashmere sweater. I swiped my phone off the bed and tucked it in my back pocket, easy to access, but also easy to misunderstand if I was giving off the impression that I was groping myself. I slid down the hall cheerily in sock feet, happy and sad to be alone. No one would be calling me awake anymore, and I wouldn't wake up to the smell of bacon or pancakes or something that always made my morning. I would have to fend for myself. And right now that meant grabbing some take-out for breakfast.

I grabbed my purse off of the island in the kitchen, checking to make sure I had everything I needed. Map was there (not that it'd really help), keys, wallet, iPod… I didn't think I needed anything else. But as I was shoving my feet into my boots, I didn't even think to grab a coat because I didn't feel cold at all. Not that I ever did.

With one hand on the doorknob, I reached over to my right to crank the light dimmer to nothing. The room still remained fairly light from the sun streaming in through the window wall and balcony, and I smiled at the room behind me. I was free to be myself here, and do whatever I wanted. If I made friends, I could bring them over and we could do whatever. The very thought was very enticing, and I felt very cool for being able to say that I lived on my own.

Smiling to myself, I dug my iPod out of my purse, shoved the earbuds in and chose a song. I tucked it back in, fished my keys out, opened the door and stepped into the bright hallway. There was someone beside me leaving their own apartment as well, and my heart gave a sweetened thump at having my own neighbours. I paid them no mind as I locked the door and plopped my keys back in my purse. As I strolled down the hall to the elevator, I could feel their eyes, whoever they were, on the back of my neck, an incessant tingle that meant I was being stared at. I tried not to glance over at them as I waited for the elevator. But that prove futile when curiosity about who I was living next to now got the best of me. I slid my gaze over to them, and immediately regretted it.

The dark-haired man from last night.

I practically ran into the elevator.

Collapsing against the mirrored wall, I tried to catch my breath that had suddenly rushed out of me the moment I met his alert green gaze. Damn, I was living beside someone who might know my father. Or at least recognized him, since I looked more like him than Mom. The innocent bystanders that had the worst luck by ending up in the same elevator as me had to watch in stunned silence as I let out a tut. Living here just got a lot more complicated.

The elevator ride was tense and uncomfortable, a young mother and son unabashedly boring their eyes into my head. With the blaring volume of my music, there was no doubt in my mind that they could hear the bursting thrums of electric guitar coming from the earbuds in the confined space. All the more reason why I practically stormed out of the elevator and into the lobby when the ride was finally over.

_How to go about this? _I wondered idly to myself as I leaned against the glass wall of the towering apartments, staring at the map in my hands, slightly crumpled in the corner from my confused clutch. The school I was supposed to be attending, Seiyo Academy, wasn't a great distance from the apartments, an easy walk. Grumbling to myself, I dug in my purse until I managed to find a pen, then drew a squiggly line that went east from the apartments for what could be five minutes, north for another five, east again for ten, then north one more time for five. A twenty-five minute walk altogether, doable in warmer seasons but a pain in the ass in the winter.

I buried my face in the crinkled map, then tried to guess which direction was east from here. I decided left from where I stood, then set off to test my route and prayed that I didn't get lost again in an unfamiliar city. The dust of snow on the ground had melted overnight, leaving a damp sidewalk that created a wet, crunchy noise as my boots thudded against it. Cars flashed by me with a whoosh of wind, a reminder that I was in a bigger city now, but an emptier one, in a way. Everyone in New Orleans always seemed so upbeat, so enthusiastic and entertaining with their classic, myth-filled voodoo museums, the cafés that practically oozed the smell of beignets. I heaved a sigh as I kept staring down at the map, flicking my head between it and the sidewalk that was filled with people milling by me. Now I knew how girls from small towns felt when they travelled all the way to the big city.

On the five minute mark, I dared a glance to my left, which should've been north from my calculations (not that I trusted them in the slightest). There was indeed a sidewalk leading up towards a slight incline, the honking and busy city leading towards a more residential area filled with cheery townhouses, green grass, and healthy trees. I took that left, my heart pounding over the beating music in a panicked, hopeful way.

Sure enough, after a right and another left, I stumbled towards a building that could've easily been a small castle. It looked like it was made out of some classy white stone, with tall rectangular spires, flourishing gardens, and even a set of large, near eight-meter tall wrought iron gates with intricate and spiral designs. There was a large, metallic sign attached to the wall that surrounded the building's perimeter that read 'Seiyo Academy' in a blunt, bold font, announcing both business and wealth. I couldn't believe this place was a school! The grass was green even despite the cool weather, surely fake and polished, though there were tall trees that looked as if they were trying to claw open the sky and let the angelic choir sing on this academy. If I squinted into the distance, I swore I could see a spherical glass structure that was shaped kind of like a kaleidoscope, with square pieces of glass reflecting light in prisms in every direction. It was like I was standing before hundreds of years of history and hard work, what with the arched windows, glass double doors, cobblestone walkways, and primped and primed gardens that exploded colour in the monochromic fall season, along with the blood red fall leaves.

Well. I didn't know what to think. When Mary and I were looking over the general area of the city, there was more than this academy to choose to attend. There were lesser, not as famous choices, but this one was closer to the apartments than the other one we were considering, Mayosu Academy, where a famous idol was said to attend or something. So Seiyo it was. But now I was beginning to regret that decision. This school looked like it was made for the rich, upper-class folk, and how out of place would I be with my yat dialect, white hair, and purple eyes with icy blue flecks? It wasn't like I was exactly poor, either, but I wouldn't exactly call myself high class. A cold, nervous sweat was breaking out on the back of my neck even as a breeze blew the hair around my face and made my trademark small braid that I always tied in the middle of the mass thump against my back. That was it. The route I planned out had worked, now I was hungry and upset. Time to go.

With pursed lips and a heavy heart, I began making my way back down the hill Seiyo Academy was stationed on top of, towards the townhouses with the friendly-looking gardens and trees swaying in what must've been a cool fall breeze. I scratched the back of my head in frustration, glaring at the map and wondering where I could go to get some food, like a McDonald's or something.

It was no surprise that, while coming down a large hill and glaring at a map with music blaring in my ears, I didn't hear the sound of a ball being kicked very roughly and powerfully. Air go, I also didn't hear a mature guy's voice screech at me to watch out. So when I felt a presence approaching me at an alarming rate, I looked up from the map and turned my head to my right just in time to get a soccer ball smack in the face.

I could feel it crush against my nose and face with a horrible, stinging impact so filled with force that I actually fell backwards, the map coming loose in my hands and headphones flying out of my ears. I lay paralysed for a moment, awestruck at how a ball could have that much force behind it, furious at the kicker, and trying not to scream in pain from my red face and ringing ears. I could hear two pairs of footsteps thundering towards me, and before I knew it, the silhouettes of two teenage guys were standing above me, one's expression increasingly worried and the other's looking like he was trying hard not to laugh.

The one who seemed to find this situation hilarious struck me as what Puck from a _Midsummer Night's Dream_ could look like if he was real, with wild red hair sticking out in every direction, and light, forest green eyes that had a mischievous glint in them and a prick of tears from holding in laughter. It looked like he was just getting over a tan from his golden skin tone, the muscles of his arms giving me the impression that he was a sports player and total beach boy. The features of his face were pointed and cast curious shadows over his rapidly reddening complexion, and most of my rage was directed at him and his reaction.

On the other hand, the guy beside him seemed like the exact opposite, with gentle features, a worried expression, and light, wispy blonde hair very tidily styled. He was much shorter and leaner than the jerkass dude, his skin paler and not as sun-kissed. His eyes, though, were another story, a deep almost maroon colour with concern written in them like a confession, honest and true. Normally I wouldn't have even blamed him for anything, but at that moment I was humiliated and hurting, so of course my old title from middle school of the "Snow Monster" came back in a fury.

"What tha hell's yer problem?!" I demanded, the yat dialect coming on full force like it always did when I was angry.

"Sorry, sorry," the Puck look-alike snickered, wiping tears from his evil little eyes. "I totally didn't see you there. My bad."

"Are you alright?" The other guy asked in a much gentler voice, actually holding out a hand to help me up. But I was in no mood for taking anyone's kindness or pity, so I completely ignored it and shoved myself off the ground, standing at my full height which was just about the same as his. They both seemed surprised by my full appearance, but I didn't even care as I plucked my map and iPod off the ground and shoved them back in my purse.

"Does it look like I'm alright?" I hissed, face flaming as I glared at the pair of them. "Didn't yer parents ever tell ya not ta play in tha streets?"

The redhead rolled his eyes. "Come on, it was an accident. I apologized, didn't I?"

I quirked a pale eyebrow in challenge, making him raise his in return. "And ya think that's enough fer compensation?"

He held up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. What can we do to make it up to you?"

"We?" The other guy asked, looking between us worriedly. I almost felt kind of bad that the redhead was roping him into all of this. Almost.

A smirk twitched its way into existence on my face. "Well, there is something I have in mind."

}{

"Feeling better now?"

I nodded, my mouth filled with a ketchup covered burger. In the end, the whole ball situation ended up working out in my favour, since I was able to convince them into taking me to the nearest fast food joint, which just so happened to be a- what do you know- McDonald's. Considering that it wasn't a huge ordeal, I only got them to get me something small, a burger and root beer. I was already over the entire incident, but I was the type of person to extort free food from someone whenever given the opportunity. I wasn't just going to let it pass by.

"I really am sorry," the redhead said again, less tense now that he could see I was appeased and full. "But I did tell you to look out."

Swallowing the big bite of burger I had been chewing on, I took a large swig of root beer, and the pair of guys honestly looked impressed at my appetite. I dabbed my mouth with a napkin, somewhat ladylike, and said, "I couldn't really hear you, since my headphones were in and music was blasting. It was my fault in a way, as well. So I'm sorry for flipping out like that."

The blondie grinned, an easy, cheerful grin that was hard to come by nowadays. "It doesn't even matter now. Water under the bridge, right? And you're talking normally now."

I took another gulp of my drink to hide the blush that covered my cheeks. "Yeah, uh, I'm from New Orleans. I always get a more noticeable accent when I'm ticked."

"We could see that," the redhead snorted. When I raised my eyebrows at him, he simply flicked his wild hair back with a twitch-like movement of his head and said, "My name's Kukai, by the way. And this one right here is Tadase." He ruffled the blonde's hair, making him colour and bat his hand away.

"My name's Snow," I said with a smile, completely comfortable in their presence now. "I just moved here."

"I can tell," Tadase said, putting an elbow on the polished black table and leaning his chin into his palm. "I haven't seen you around before."

I shrugged. "I just got here yesterday. I'm living in Crystalshire Appartments."

Kukai nodded in approval. "Swanky. We saw you coming from the opposite direction, though. Where were you coming from?"

"The school I'm going to be attending, Seiyo Academy."

I was instantly suspicious of the identical grins that took up their entire faces.

"Know of it?" I asked, right eyebrow quirked.

"We're… familiar," Tadase chuckled, a bright, sunny smile taking residence on his face. Almost imperceptibly, my heart gave a strange little twist, like it was being put through a meat grinder or something. What was that? It must've been an effect from seeing a smile like that, one that was so rare in this rotting world.

"But what brings you all the way here from New Orleans?" Kukai asked with a wide-eyed curious gaze, making his green eyes snap brightly. "That's a long ways away, and you certainly wouldn't have come here alone, did you?"

"Of course I did," I snorted, crossing one leg over the other under the table. "I'm old enough to live by myself."

"And still be in high school?"

"I was held back."

The two guys shared a glance between them, one that was clearly wondering what type of person I really was. It wasn't that hard; I was an open book. I didn't get held back because of delinquency or truancy; I was kept in the hospital for a while after my mother slashed me with a kitchen knife, and then I was put into an orphanage that wouldn't pay for public education. Not that I'd tell them that. Even if I did feel comfortable in the presence of these two strangers, I still didn't know them at all. Declassifying information about my life like that felt kind of iffy.

"Before you go jumping to conclusions," I said sardonically, crossing my arms and leaning back into the bright red booth, "I am not some sort of delinquent."

"We didn't think you were," Tadase said, surprised by my noticing of their brief exchange. "I'm sorry if we gave you the wrong impression." His maroon eyes seemed genuinely filled with apology and regret, giving me that strange twisty feeling again.

Cheeks flushed, I whipped my head away in a show of false bravado. "S'okay. I was just trying to make sure I wasn't giving off a bad impression."

Kukai muttered something under his breath that I caught with my sensitive ears, and it definitely sounded like, "A little late for that." I grinned at him evilly, and he let out a snort.

"But you didn't answer my other question," he continued as if nothing had happened. "Why did you come here?"

My bad habit kicked in then, one that always got me into sticky situations and was part of the reason I was always getting lost: overthinking things. I thought about what to say to them. That I had come searching for my past, making old wounds resurface and trying to heal them completely? Searching for my father, who may or may not be alive? Visiting my mother in the nut house? How could I condense all of the thoughts in my head into one simple answer that didn't reveal too much about myself, but wasn't too rude either?

Once I found my answer, I grinned at the pair of them, happy that I now had an answer to give anyone who asked. "I came to find myself."

Simultaneously, the pairs of their eyes widened and recognition dawned in them, almost like they knew something important about "finding ones' self". Tadase smiled slightly and opened his mouth as if to speak, but then was cut off by this horrid, screeching noise that burst from nowhere. It was like nails on a chalkboard, or maybe metal scraping against metal, but at the same time it also sounded like… a baby's wail. Something filled with a lot of emotions that had to be buried deep.

Tadase's eyes snapped open so much I could see the whites all around his iris. His hand darted down to pat the pocket of his pants, and Kukai looked at him with the most strange expression. "Dude, what's wrong?" He asked, prodding him with his elbow.

Maybe it was fate that my ears were oversensitive, because if they weren't, I wouldn't have been able to hear Tadase's next words that started everything. Very quietly, clearly not meant to be heard by innocent, unsuspecting bystanders, he whispered, "The lock is resonating…"

I cocked my head to one side, trying very hard not to cover my ears. I didn't understand why no one else was wincing from the obscene noise, the wail that kept reverberating off the walls and hitting my ears again and again like divine punishment. "Lock?" I asked.

Tadase looked startled to see me right in front of him, oddly enough. He then began frantically darting from the booth we were sitting in, shocking me to silence. "Sorry, Soma-kun. I'll see you later, alright?"

"Wha- where are you going?" Kukai demanded, clearly surprised at his friend's erratic behaviour.  
"There's someone I need to speak with," was all the strange, kind blonde boy said before bolting from the fast-food restaurant and into the cold streets.

"Is he always like that?" I asked Kukai, who was staring at the door with a slack jaw.

"No," he murmured quietly, his gaze darkening. "He does not."

He flipped his head to stare at me, and the look on his face was completely foreign to me. It was a look of wonder and suspicion wrapped up into one quizzical bundle. "Who are you?" He asked me, and I gave him a look.

"Didn't I say that I came here to find that out?" I responded with an innocent smile, and then I stood from the booth. I hitched my purse over my shoulder and dug in it for a moment, then slapped half of the price of my meal on the table in front of him.

He glanced up at me through fiery eyelashes, his look challenging. "I thought I was treating you for 'compensation'," he recited, his voice mocking.

"It was partly my fault," I explained with a wink. "Therefore, I pay half. Later." I stepped away from the shining black table, past all of the other families and couples chattering away without a care in the world or a clue of how much my life had changed in the course of a heartbeat.

}{

I got quite the surprise once I stepped into the glass doors of Crystalshire Apartments: there, in my unit mailbox, was a rectangular packing in crinkling parchment sticking out of it. For a moment, I thought it might've been for the previous tenant that was living in my unit, but upon closer inspection, it had the words "Snow Camellia Hisayuki" printed on it in bold, black lettering. So, with a slight shrug to no one in particular, I stuffed it under my armpit and made my way back up to my apartment.

Once the door was unlocked and I quickly surveyed the hallway to check for the dark-haired creep, I stepped in my apartment with a huge, goofy grin on my face. It was kind of lonely entering and not hearing someone call "Welcome home", but it was fulfilling at the same time.

I quickly kicked my boots of and rushed into the kitchen to grab some scissors. I sliced through the brown packaging with a series of _snips_, and was eventually able to uncover the ornate white box underneath with gold spiralling patterns along the sides. Clearly printed in blatant lettering at the top of the box was the insignia of Seiyo Academy, a lion wearing a crown (oddly enough). Oh boy.

Shifting my weight on to my right hip, I pursed my lips and pondered what could be inside. With a shrug to myself, I flung the lid off the box to discover a red, black, and white uniform folded and pressed neatly inside, with a student guidebook lying on top, which was way too thick for my liking. I wondered how they knew my new address, considering that I just moved in last night. Then I brushed it aside, assuming that Mary had already known my unit number before I left and told the school to send the package here.

I took the thick guidebook out and laid it on the marble island, putting it off to read later. Then I took out the uniform to discover a simple white blouse, a black jacket with the insignia above where my heart would go, a crimson tie, and a black and red plaid skirt to make it all blend together. Not awful as far as school uniforms went. Only when I shook out the shirt did I hear a flapping noise of paper falling to the ground.

Curiously, I gently laid the blouse on the counter and bent down to pick up the small, rectangular piece of paper that had floated to the ground. A card addressed to me, according to my name written on the front in handwriting that could almost be considered calligraphy. I flipped it to the back to discover a note of the same countenance and authority, and began to read.

_Snow Camellia Hisayuki; _

_ We are very pleased to hear that you will be attending our academy. Please wear the enclosed uniform on the day of your arrival and all school days thereafter. The following guidebook is the rules of our school which must be obeyed to the letter. It will explain all you need to know of our… "strange" system here at Seiyo. _

_ We have high expectations for you, Miss Hisayuki, since you were enrolled on a scholarship for outstanding grades and talent. We also think that this place will be good for you, considering your extenuating circumstances. We hope you find what you're looking for._

_ -The Headmaster Of Seiyo Academy _

What the- that was one of the most strange and prophetic things I had ever read! This "Headmaster" already seemed to know a lot about me, putting me on edge and considering discarding the note completely. But then I noticed one piece of writing on the bottom that I had almost missed. One that I maybe should've paid more mind to.

_P.S. Beware of black cats. _


	4. Chapter III- Where She Belongs

**_Apologies for the late and super long chapter! -_- There was just a lot that needed to be established. Well, the story's finally moving forward, at least! And from here on, things should just get more and more interesting! By the way, the story about the old school buildings belonging to a cult were purely imagination on my part *chuckle chuckle* I thought it was very clever. Anyway, thanks for reading!_**

**_~Crimrose_**

**_Chapter III_**

**_Where She Belongs _**

_ Don't faint don't faint don't faint don't faint…_

I repeated those two simple words in my head over and over again, a mantra to try and make my legs stop shaking as I made my way up the north slope to get to Seiyo Academy. That morning, I sat up in bed, and nearly collapsed again from nervousness, shyness, and nausea that swam through my head and chest, drowning me in emotions that I was horrified of facing. A new school. With people I didn't know, and who didn't know me. What if I got made fun of? What if I made no friends? That seemed to be the basic recurring issue for me, since I had issues with being all alone.

Considering that the mantra was doing absolutely nothing to help my vision stop swimming, I decided to go over the school's peculiar system I read up on last night one more time. Instead of a student council, they had this fancy little group called "The Guardians". Their duties were implied with the name; defending and protecting the student body from any threats of prosecution, settling down skirmishes between the rival academy, and working to change the rules within the students' favour. They had four positions instead of president, vice president, and so on: the King, Queen, Jack, and Ace. I wasn't going to bother pondering over the card references, since this school was just a big, mushed up ball of whack.

Versus my old, apparently completely boring high school in Louisiana, this school had a huge event pretty much every month. For example, for this month of October, they had an athletic festival, basically a week of sports that permitted students to miss classes and just do all-day physical education. While having straight As at any other school, gym was by far my best subject, so this seemed very promising to me. I could run fast, I could jump high, I could spike volleyballs like a champ. My activeness was a complete mystery when you took a look at my diet, which basically comprised of fast-food and mint chocolate chip ice cream. Hooray for favourable metabolisms.

Thinking about food did something to ease my bumpy, restless mind, which gave me the opportunity to straighten my back and walk with purpose. I saw teenagers milling around me, wearing the exact uniform I was, but only with light coats over it. I, on the other hand, just opted for a long, violet scarf, since I was attempting to "fit in", but a coat wasn't really a necessity. Since being immune to the cold was apparently not normal.

However, I still caught the gazes of some students, males and females alike. Their gazes were snapping with curiosity, almost like whips that just kept coming to strike me. I could see them eyeing my white hair, probably assuming that it was dyed and I was just weird, when in reality it was just my very young father's odd, hereditary shade. I had it in its usual style, two braids at the side of my head that tied into one large braid at the back and keeping the rest down and flowing. Even at my old schools, and then the orphanage, I had been teased and mocked because I had "old lady hair", and I honestly didn't expect this place to be any different. So I just had to puff out my chest and put on a cool, ice-coloured mask that prevented people from seeing how much I was wavering on the inside.

That's the way it always was. Pretending I was someone else, and that I was indifferent to my surroundings. Always being polite and respectful, except for when something pushes me over the edge and my mind just goes blank. Before I knew it, crafting this oh-so-wonderful façade of mine had become a habit. I couldn't live without it anymore. Sometimes I really wished that I could show my true colours to everyone, but that hadn't really worked for the first five years of my life, especially when my "true self" got repeatedly sliced and diced by my own mother. What a lovely childhood I had.

I pulled my scarf further up to cover my chin and mouth, moving to shove my hands in my pockets, and letting them fall slack to my sides awkwardly upon realizing that I didn't have any. Maybe things would be different this time around. Maybe I wouldn't have to foolishly act like everyone was my enemy. But even if it wasn't, it would still be good training.

Considering that, when I was ready, I was going to visit my mother for the first time in thirteen years.

Now instead of focusing on trying not to faint, I was trying to pump myself up. _You can do this, Snow. You can make a life here on your own, and you can do it without beating anyone at your school up. Pretend that your history of violence doesn't even exist. That your accent is so cool and people are jealous of it._ This all would've worked out pretty well if I wasn't nodding and shaking my head to myself while all the other students were watching, and already I could feel people's gazes training on me like I belonged with my mother in an asylum. I coughed aloud awkwardly, and just hung my head.

"Hisayuki-san?" I heard a light, male voice say behind me, and it was like my entire day brightened. Was it God? Had He come to spare me from any more self-induced humiliation?!

I whirled around to see the blonde boy from yesterday, Tadase-kun, waving cheerfully with a comforting grin on his face. So that's why he and Kukai-kun had little smiles on their faces when I brought up that I was going to be attending Seiyo Academy; this was _their _school. I already had an acquaintance! Now I just had to make sure that I didn't make him hate me, and I would be good. Tadase-kun seemed like a perfectly nice and pleasant guy to be around, minus the little "Lock" thing from yesterday.

"Good morning," I said with a smile as he caught up to me, shoving down me rapidly beating heart that was practically screaming "FRIEND FRIEND FRIEND BE MY FRIEND". I could be cool about this. Smooth. "So, uh, you and Kukai-kun-kun attend this school, huh? You should've said something."

His expression turned from welcoming to a bit bashful. "Yes, well, I would've, but then I had to leave very suddenly. I'm very sorry for suddenly ditching you both like that."

_Aww, he's so nice._ "Really, it was no trouble at all," I sang while waving my hand dismissively, happy to be familiar with someone. "I'm sorry that I overreacted in the first place."

"This might seem like an odd question, Hisayuki-san, but have you been experiencing anything… strange, lately?" Normally I would've laughed the question off by stating that my life was always strange, but he seemed so serious about the inquiry that I was left groping for an appropriate response.

"Strange?" I repeated, and he nodded, his maroon eyes severe. "What do you mean by strange?"

"Like…" He stopped talking to ponder over the question, thoughtfully holding his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Any _shifty_ characters hanging around? Asking you about… um, this is going to sound completely crazy, but… asking you about eggs?"

I stared at him in utter shock. What… the hell was he talking about? Eggs? Like, _poultry_? He was right, that did sound completely crazy. I shook my head while giving him the most wigged-out look, asking, "Um, should I be?"

"Ah, no, no, just forget I said anything." He began chuckling, though from the way his eyebrows were slightly drawn down, I could tell he was nervous about something. "If you haven't, then it's fine. It's good."

Well, he was a bit odd. I let my gaze stray away from his gentle face that was now ridden with worry, and suddenly noticed that the students around us (namely females) were glaring at me. What was with that? I wasn't making enemies _already,_ was I? But I wasn't even doing anything! I was just walking with-

…_Ohhhhhhh. _

I understood what was going on with a crashing wave of realization. Tadase-kun was popular. Like, really popular. It seemed that everyone milling around us had stopped their chattering to steal a glance at him as soon as he entered their field of vision. Go figure. I mean, a guy with his looks and golden personality wouldn't go unnoticed anywhere, let alone high school. But did that give people any right to glare at me for simply walking beside him? Nuh-uh, I didn't think so.

Nonetheless, I heaved a sigh and dealt with it. I had been on the receiving end for strange glares for most of my life. And now I was feeling more insignificant beside this gentle guy, like his popularity was a hulking demon looming over me to mock and curse me until the end of days.

"Is something the matter?" He asked me, cocking his head to one side curiously, almost like a puppy with inquisitive eyes.

"Of course not," I laughed dismissively, shaking my head. "It's just… a new school and everything, you know? And I'm living on my own now, so things may get a bit tough at times." Before I turned to look at him, because I knew there was bound to be a pitying look in his gaze, I looked up at the sky, a crystalline blue that seemed so fragile compared to the masses of white clouds floating around everywhere. "But I know that things will work out. If I have a positive attitude, things will be positive, right?"

I did look at him then, and saw that he was smiling just like the sun beating down on us from the breakable sky. "Of course. That's a good way to look at things."

Surprisingly enough, a slight flush coloured my cheeks. I had to look away. He really was kind of cute. He was only just a bit taller than me, but I didn't care about things like that. Almost imperceptibly, I slid my gaze to the side just a tad to find him staring at my hair as a breeze blew through it. I automatically tucked that irritating cowlick in my bangs that I could never be rid of behind my ear, embarrassed about not being normal while surrounded by all these students. I needed something to look at so I wouldn't be embarrassed. I let my gaze travel up from my white hair to find that we had reached the gate of the school, in all its tall, twisted iron glory.

For a moment, I felt relieved because the walk was over and I didn't have to stand beside the vicious force that was popularity, but that quickly disappeared when I realized that _the walk was over. _Now I really would have to face my first day of school. _Get over it, Snow, _I told myself firmly in my mind for what felt like the thousandth time. _You're eighteen now. You should be older than most of the kids here. They have no reason to threaten or scare you. You've been through worse. Oh never mind you're lying to yourself THIS IS GOING TO GO HORRIBLY. _

I sucked at hyping myself up.

"Well, I have somewhere to be before classes begin," Tadase-kun told me, almost apologetically. "Good luck with your first day."

"Thanks," I said with a smile and slight wave, using up all the strength I had for that mask of false bravado.

When in reality, I was trying my very hardest not to break down into nervous tears.

}{

_I hate my teacher. _

To be honest, I didn't even know my new teacher's name. But what I hated about her, and her completely fake smiling disposition, was that she was making me stand in front of the entire class and introduce myself. Didn't she understand that all my nerves were blown to smithereens and that I could go into a hysterical fit at any moment? Well, I may have been overreacting, but from the pace of my pounding heart, that is certainly what it felt like.

Every one of the students in my class (and my eyes counted a total of twenty-five) was staring at me and my hair, and my height, and everything else about me because it was all _wrong._ People were dumb, with their stupid standards and expectations… I realized I was getting way ahead of myself and acting like the world was ending when all I had to do was say my name, and then a friendly greeting.

But my teeth were unconsciously grinding together. It would take physical effort to force the words out of me. So I nearly pushed myself into saying, "Snow Hisayuki." And then, I lifted my head from quivering and accidentally glared at everyone watching me, including the teacher. "Hi."

_I deserve to go to Hell. _

My walk was one of shame as I strolled down the rows of desks, people looking at me with almost amused gazes and others seeming offended. My designated seat was at the very back, next to an open window that let in the smell of crisp, fall air. Just as I was about to sit down, I caught the gaze of a girl who sat diagonally in front of me. Her posture was very straight and pristine as she sat in her red plastic chair, her near-gold eyes looking at me curiously. Her hair, the colour of black ink, was tied into a high ponytail that spilled over her shoulders in a waterfall of black. She smiled at me, a simple stretch of her pink lips, and I was luckily able to return the gesture (albeit shakily).

As was expected of school, the English lesson droned on and on. Nonetheless, I was determined to keep my high grade average, so I still paid attention while the teacher spoke and even took notes in a purple bound book I had gotten before leaving New Orleans. Every now and again, when I had finished copying down things before everyone else, I would let my gaze stray out of the window to a large, spacious courtyard. There were flower gardens blooming blossoms of autumn, like roses, and the thick statues called trees were exploding in the colours of a blazing sunset. It made me want to draw. Or write. Or even compose lyrics. But I couldn't lose focus, especially not on my first day.

A breeze blew in just then, stirring my white hair around my shoulders and enveloping me in the luscious scent of my coconut shampoo. That brightened my mood a little, and it was even more so when no students were turning around to gossip about me or even mock me. But, strangely enough, that pale, dark-haired girl's gaze would stray back to me every now and again, and she almost seemed… expectant.

This place was as strange as that note from the Headmaster.

I made it through second period, which was my elective course of art, without any problems. Though no one came to speak to me, and I was left with a seat in the corner to "draw what I felt", I was content. Art was a class I liked, where I could express myself with the smooth strokes of an ink pen or even a pencil. I drew an estranged mixed of things that made me happy to lighten my mood, like flowers, fireworks, and musical notes. The teacher didn't make me introduce myself. That meant she wasn't getting a special, very crude page of mocking drawings in my sketch book. Kudos to her.

And then finally, lunch came. I bought pizza from the cafeteria and the complimenting drink of chocolate milk when I realized that I had no one to sit with. Wow, my social life was sucking so far. I was about to call it a quits and go find myself a lone tree in the courtyard when I felt a tap on my shoulder as I was exiting the building.

I whirled around, straw stuck between my lips and sipping at my chocolaty beverage, and saw Tadase-kun standing there, smiling like he had found the person he'd always been looking for. And there was almost a large whipping sound as every pair of eyes in the foyer turned to look at us.

"Hello, Hisayuki-san," he greeted me cheerily, and I raised my pizza hand in greeting as I kept sipping. "How has your first day been going?"

_Well, Tadase-kun, since I'm too socially awkward to actually talk to anyone… _I internally rolled my eyes at my self-contempt and let go of the straw between my teeth. "It's been pretty good so far. I guess having a positive outlook worked." Even though I meant to state that, it came out more like a question.

He nodded, that ever-cheerful smile still beaming on his face. I wondered if his muscles ever grew tired. "That's great. Well, since it's your first day and all, I was wondering if you'd like a tour of the school grounds?"

My straw nearly stabbed my eye since I was so surprised at his sudden proposition that my body physically tensed while the milk was on the way to my mouth. Why would I be so surprised? Oh yeah, it's because Tadase-kun happened to stroll by my art room while on the way to the bathroom or something, I don't know, and things got a lot louder. The girls were yelling out his name and giggling, guys were bolting out and "fist-pumping" or whatever gesture the kids these days are doing now. Tadase-kun was popular, and that much was so clear that it was nearly blinding. And yet he was offering to give me a tour, the person who just nearly stabbed her eye with a straw. Should I have gotten on my knees or something and started bowing? Nah, that would've been taking it a bit too far…

"Hisayuki-san?" Tadase-kun was suddenly right in front of me, looking at me under his golden eyelashes that caught the light of the hallway and made it glimmer. He must've been calling me for a while, and I got wound up in my own thoughts again. My dyrexia is so terrible that I'm getting lost in my own mind.

"Sorry, sorry," I laughed, my eyebrows slashing down in a bit of embarrassment. "Yes, I mean, I'd love a tour! Thanks for offering."

Tadase-kun and I left the main building, and I tried to ignore the daggers of other students I felt stabbing into my back. Well, sorry, people, but he offered. As we walked all around the school during the hour-long lunch break, Tadase-kun rattled off facts about the buildings' history and uses while I munched on my pizza and tried not to look bored. The school itself was actually a renovated church that was taken over by more of a cult than a religion that worshipped the fact that each person has a "guardian angel", and they wanted to somehow summon those make-believe figments and use them for their own purposes and goals. They were quickly shooed out when the authorities discovered that they were kidnapping children because they had "unclouded eyes" that could see such creatures, and many years later, the current Headmaster of the academy bought the place no one went near out and changed it into a school. He remodeled the main building and later added more, like the state-of-the-art gym and library, but there were still some buildings that weren't being used and were off-limits.

That seemed like a classic set-up for things to go horribly wrong.

About half-way through, we came across the 'Royal Garden', a large greenhouse carved out of pentagonal pieces of glass where the Guardians had their meetings and, apparently, tea. And Tadase-kun even elaborated on their jobs, which made me wonder why he knew so much about them. Their job was not only to look out for the student body and fight for their rights, but also to maintain the school grounds and greenhouse, and mainly keep people from entering the old buildings because of the flimsy, old architecture that could collapse any day.

And then I started to crave ketchup chips.

I was about to say thanks and that I didn't need any further guidance (a total lie) when Tadase-kun's head perked up like he heard something. I cocked my head to the right to see if I could see what he could, and saw three people coming towards us. The dark-haired girl from my English class, the red-head from yesterday, Kukai-kun-kun, and then a very petite and thin girl with sunny skin, bright orange hair done up in twin pigtails with red ribbons, and large, brown doe-eyes.

"Tadase!" Kukai-kun called, a large grin on his angular face as he waved like a maniac. The girls beside him covered their eyes slightly and waved a little in return.

"Hello, everyone," Tadase-kun sang, and I caught a look on his face that I had never been on the receiving end of in my entire life. He looked like he was ecstatic to see these people, like they the people who lit up his world.

The students around us seemed restless from the way they were gasping and whispering. Only when I perked my ears a bit more than usual as the group of three were rapidly approaching did I hear what they were saying. Male and female people alike were whispering to each other, "It's the Guardians!"

I took a deep breath and held it.

Then, very slowly, I let it out as I sped away. Now I understood why Tadase-kun was so popular, why he knew so much about the Guardians, the school in general. He was part of the Guardians, along with Kukai-kun and the pretty pale girl who highly resembled an Asian doll. I guess it was kind of pompous of me to just obliviously take his offer and spend lunch with him. He probably had things to do and many people to see. Those were the people he belonged with. It was stupid of me to think we could be friends.

I felt a gaze pelt my back almost guiltily, and heard Tadase-kun call out the very formal version of my name. I didn't turn back, even though I wasn't running. I would make my own friends, with people that were around the same standing as me. It would be okay.

I couldn't be alone forever.

}{

Tuesday and Wednesday passed by in an educational blur. I had a small quiz in English that I got near-perfect on, minus small misconceptions. My art teacher seemed amazed at my talent for being so young. The same went for my home economics and Science teachers. I managed to gather the nerve to converse with some classmates, and they were surprisingly not as evil as I had originally perceived. In fact, they told me that they thought I just liked to be alone, and wanted to talk to me all along. We laughed about it, though it seemed to resound in a sort of emptiness.

I didn't speak to Tadase-kun nor Kukai-kun again. I couldn't risk the normal life that I was steadily beginning to build. I called Mary each night, and she gushed over how much everyone missed me, and I returned her sentiments. Somehow it felt like I was just living life because I could. I wasn't making any progress with 'finding myself', or with gathering the courage to call the asylum and ask to schedule an appointment to talk to my mother. Was moving here useless, even after just five days? Would anything change?

Things began to on my first night of work, when we met again.

The work at East Side was busy, as expected. I was zooming here and there, hurrying to scrawl orders on a small notepad and give them to the cooks. The smells of pasta, tomatoes, and alcohol were permanently imprinted in my nose all night, from five until nine p.m. But I worked hard. I didn't want to disappoint the manager, especially with the way she was scrutinizing me while I was zooming around, my ponytail of melted titanium flying behind me the entire time. When I had a moment to breathe at one point, I dug my cell phone out of my back pocket and checked the time. It was six thirty. I still had a lot to go.

The friendly hostess from the first time I arrived here, Louise, sauntered up to me with a friendly smile. "You don't need to work so hard," she said comfortingly, reaching out to put a warm hand on my shoulder. "It's only your first night. Take it easy. Here, I just got a group of kids about your age at the booth near the front doors. They shouldn't be too much trouble."

I smiled at her, genuinely happy to have a nice girl working with me. Maybe we could be friends. But then again, I barely knew a thing about her. I shook my head before I got lost in my thoughts again, and said, "Thanks. I'll get right to it."

As I made my way across the aged wooden floors, surrounding by strange paintings of generations of managers and chickens, I saw the manager peering at me from her office. I pretended not to notice, and muttered "Badda bing" to myself with an eye roll.

I stopped my stride at the booth right next to the front doors, a group of four teenagers sitting comfortably and muttering about their menu choices. Their forms were reflected in the window, two girls and two guys. I plastered on my best server's smile, whipped out my notepad and pen, and rattled off in a monotone, "Welcome to East Side Mario's. My name is Snow, and I'll be your server this evening. Would you like to start off with something to drink?"

The girls recited their orders off to me, a bit snootily as they took in my hair and height. I waited for the guys' somewhat impatiently when I caught one of their gazes, the one sitting in the very corner like a shadow. I was met with deep eyes roiling like the seas, and they widened the same time mine did.

"Ikuto?" I breathed, and I could barely hear him whisper my name in return. The girl sitting beside him threw glances between us, then turned to him, her blonde hair whipping back to smack my arm.

"You know this girl?" She asked him. He let his shoulders rise and fall in a shrug, his countenance bored and uncaring once again. But I caught a glimmer of something in his eye- interest? Amusement?- before he let his eyes fall back onto his menu, biting back a slight smirk. He looked even more attractive now that I could see him in full light, the golden chandeliers throwing beams off of his dark hair like moonlight reflecting off dark water. I could see he was wearing a V-neck shirt that ran to his elbows and generously emphasized his form, and I honestly flushed a little before looking away.

"Your drinks?" I asked again, and I was satisfied to note that my voice didn't waver or tremble at all. The other guy opposite Ikuto clearly stated that he wanted a coke, but I was still waiting on the irritating guy in the corner who was clearly enjoying making me stand there and suffer.

"How do you know Ikuto?" The girl sitting next to him asked, narrowing her eyes at me. "He rarely speaks to girls. Why would he talk to someone like you?"

I simply shrugged at her while continuing to wait for his order, smugly making a mental note that he didn't really talk to girls. What, was he shy or something? Did he think he was too good and attractive for any girl to even think of speaking to him? What a douchebag.

"I mean, look at you," the little blonde continued, gesturing to my form and getting the other girl's nod of agreement. "Your hair's white, weirdo. And you're freakishly tall. What did you do to get him to speak with you, hmm? It took us quite a while to even get him to come here with us tonight." She was speaking of the rest of the group, who made noncommittal gestures of agreement.

_How is she not embarrassed to say all this out loud? _I wondered, tapping my pen against my notepad lightly. I was pretending that her words didn't sting, not to get a reaction but to keep myself from going crazy again and starting a fight, and effectively losing my new job. I knew I was weird and different from everyone, but to have it so bluntly said still hurt a little. But it was pointless to let people like that get to me. From the sounds of it, she was just jealous that I didn't blackmail Ikuto or something to get him to talk to me when she clearly went to a lot of work.

"What's with that look?" The girl demanded of me, and I snapped out of my trance-like tapping. I hadn't realized I was giving her any look. "What right do you have to glare at me like that? I'm just pointing out what's obvious. You clearly had to use your body or whatever to get him to even consider talk-"

A loud slam next to the girl caused her to cut off halfway and flinch. Ikuto had courteously slammed his menu on the table and stood from his seat, making a big show with no signs of any expression. I was probably the most surprised of all, considering that he… may have very well done that for my behalf. Or maybe he just wanted that girl to shut the hell up. Either way, he spared my from any further chirping, and I was both shocked and grateful.

"Nothing to drink for me," he said, even though it was quite obvious that he was done. "Can you move?" The girl that had been snapping previously mutely nodded, a befuddled and abashed expression on her face. She quickly scrambled out of the booth while Ikuto smoothly slid out and headed for the doors. The rest of the group didn't follow.

The other customers were munching and chatting away, to enveloped in their own business to have witnessed what had just happened. So I quickly ran out the doors to catch Ikuto before he left, and was mortified to see that a light rain was hissing down and splattering against the sidewalk, meaning I'd be wet walking home.

Ikuto had thrown on a black hoodie and was pulling his hood up, striding away from me with an almost predatory grace. I didn't bother to shield myself from the drizzle, and called out, "Wait!" To him. He turned slightly, enough for me to see the glint of his snapping blue eyes under the hood.

I had to make it quick; I didn't want to keep him standing around in the rain, especially since he probably wanted to just head home. So I jogged up to him and let my words rush out of me like rapid gunfire. "Thank you for what you did just now."

He simply shrugged again. "She was just annoying me. Girls are so irritating." He continued to grumble to himself slightly, rolling his eyes and shoving his pale hands into his pockets. Entranced, I watched as drops of rain rolled down his hard, grumpy features, getting stuck in his long eyelashes and running into his mouth.

_Oh dear God, stop staring. _I quickly gathered my wits and continued. "Even so, thank you. Also, I… I want you to know that I don't think you're that type of person."

From the way he snapped his curious gaze to me, I could tell I had his attention. "What?"

I lifted one shoulder slightly, embarrassed to even bring it up. "I mean, you know… to only talk to someone if you get something out of it, like, uh, their body. I mean, you saved me in that alleyway when I clearly had nothing to offer in return. So, um… ugh, I'm not good with words. I just wanted to say thank you and that I don't think you're that bad of a guy."

Before I could even catch my breath, he was suddenly dangerously close to me, casting a dark shadow on me and letting the cowl of his hood cover his eyes slightly. Without doing it consciously, I ended up holding my breath. "You know nothing about me," he breathed, his breath stirring my bangs. "You shouldn't make assumptions about a total stranger."

I tried to shove down my feelings of slight fear and barged on, looking straight up into his eyes. They were cold and unfeeling, yet I saw something deep inside of them, almost like… sadness. "Even so, I can tell. I'm a good judge of character, you know."

He snorted. "Says the girl who asked some guys who were obviously up to no good for directions."

"Shut up. That was one time. Anyway, thank you, goodbye, get lost." I turned around, embarrassed to even look at him after forcibly remembering being saved and indebted to him. I was about to re-enter the restaurant and get back to work when he called out, "Snow."

_Ugh, why is he calling me so familiarly? _I slowly turned on my heel to look at him and raised an eyebrow.

To my surprise, he used his index finger to point to a space directly above his shoulder, his expression carefully neutral. "Can you see anything here?" He asked, throwing me for a loop.

"Um… no?" I guessed, floored with the question. Should I be seeing something? Weird things were beginning to happen all around me.

"Not yet, then," he mumbled, almost to himself. He turned on the irritating smirk and swiveled around, starting his long, rain-ridden trek. "I'll be seeing you soon."

…Why did he always leave with such cryptic words? Man, he was strange. With a shrug to myself, I pulled open the doors to ask Louise to go serve his friends and get to another table.

}{

The worst thing that could've ever happened on my first week of school occurred the next day: I woke up late.

I barely even had time to get my uniform on, let alone put my hair in its usual style. So I settled for raking it into a high, somewhat messy ponytail, threw on some flats, and bolted out of the door, locking it as quickly as I could. I was just about to make a beeline to the elevator when I ran smack into someone as I turned around.

"Sorry," I said quickly, looking up to see… _Oh great. _The dark-haired creep. He was staring down at me in surprise, his bangs hanging across his face like the feathers of a raven. I tried stepping around him, but he followed and blocked my way. I was so freaked out and worrying about being late for school that I couldn't even muster up the strength to glare at him.

"Excuse me," he said, and I was surprised to heart that his voice was soothing and gentle, almost like a father's. "I seem to have made a bad impression the other day, and I apologize. May I please have your name?"

Impatiently, I began tapping my foot against the floor, the sound slightly muffled by the carpet. I wouldn't meet his gaze, and instead stared at the vase of elaborate flowers just down the hall. "My name is Snow."

"A pleasure," he murmured, and I did look at him then, only to see a gentle and warm smile spread across his angular and somewhat mean-looking face. I almost felt guilty for thinking that he was a total creep, but I was not in the mood to be regretting how I treated him earlier. "My name is Lee, and I do believe that we're going to be neighbours from now on. I hope we can get along."

I scratched my head nervously, making my already mussed hair come even more undone. "Yeah, so do I. I'm sorry, but I really have somewhere to be."

He assessed my appearance, taking in the uniform and messenger bag. "School?" He guessed. I nodded hurriedly. "In that case, please let me give you a ride, Miss Snow."

'Miss Snow'? Maybe this guy really was weird. I lifted one shoulder self-consciously and said, "I don't know. I really don't want to trouble you…"

"Please, I insist," he said, a pure and innocent smile on his face. I assessed him carefully, noting that his dark hair was so long that he actually had to tie it into a ponytail that cascaded down his back. He was wearing completely casual clothes, a loose-fitting white button-down shirt and blue jeans. He didn't look that old, now that I got a good look at him. And I didn't feel anything suspicious coming off of him. So, very slowly, I nodded in acceptance, and then we were going down in the elevator and making our way across the parking lot to his car, which was a sleek, black model that surely meant money.

The sun was beating down mercilessly today, making me highly uncomfortable, even as I climbed into the new-smelling, leather interior of Lee's vehicle. I had always disliked the heat, normally staying inside when the torturous summers of Louisiana rolled around. Seeming to notice my discomfort, Lee cranked the air conditioning, not that it'd help since I didn't feel any cooler. He seemed slightly uncomfortable with the weather as well, brushing the long bangs out of his eyes as he put the gear shift into Drive and peeled out of the parking lot.

The car ride was lapsed into a somewhat comfortable silence, a cheerful smile on his face as he carefully executed turns as quickly as possible. My leg was bouncing up and down with impatience, not wanting to get a tardy slip- or even detention- just when I had started school. Lee pushed lightly on the acceleration petal, like sensing my need for speed. I wondered why he offered a complete stranger like me a ride to school. Hopefully he didn't turn out to be some creep after all. But honestly, I was desperate to make it on time, and he didn't seem like he had any ulterior motives. So I accepted the offer, and was now stuck dealing with sitting in a car with a complete stranger.

Not that he seemed to mind. He seemed almost happy with my company, always smiling to himself as he kept his eyes on the road and sped up the hill leading to Seiyo Academy. I quickly checked the time that was blinking on his car's radio. I still had a bit of time to make it. I nearly collapsed back in the seat with relief. He had really helped me out, even if he did it for no reason.

He pulled up to the gates of the school, where some almost-late students like me were rushing inside before they closed. I quickly leapt from the car and shut the door carefully, skirting around it to make a break for the gates. But before I did, I peaked in his open window, meeting his two jade eyes. "Thanks," I said, smiling at him as politely as I could. "I really owe you one."

Then I ran as fast as I could up to the marble steps leading to the school, feeling the tingle of his stare on my back even as the doors closed behind me.

Thanks to Lee, I made it to my homeroom just in the nick of time. I collapsed in my desk, letting my bag flop on the floor beside me. I caught the gazes of some people, most likely wondering why I was panting like a pig in the summertime. I tried my best to ignore them, and no one bothered to come up to me and ask what was wrong. But the Asian doll-like girl from the Guardians, a girl named Nadeshiko Fujisaki, was staring at me again, and when our gazes met, she surprised me by letting a small smile slip onto her lips. Before I could stop myself, I returned it with a grin of my own, then quickly reminded myself of my place and started pulling my materials from my bag.

Classes passed by in a blur, just boring conversation on _To Kill A Mockingbird _in English and studying art History in the subject. Lunch came before I even knew it, and I had planned on just getting a burger or something from the cafeteria, but I never got the chance. Because as soon as I left my art classroom on the second floor of the school, both of my arms were suddenly locked in two strong grips.

Completely shocked and abashed, I threw quick glances to my left and right, only to see Nadeshiko Fujisaki and Kukai Souma gripping my arms like I was their prey that they weren't letting escape no matter what. They both smiled at me, and while Nadeshiko-san's smile was somewhat comforting, Kukai-kun's was filled with mischief and scheming. Before I could even protest, they began forcibly dragging me down the hall, catching the attention of almost every student we passed.

"What are ya doing?!" I demanded, the anger in surprise bubbling up in me forcing out the major accent. "Lemme go!"

"Nuh-uh," Kukai-kun chuckled, an evil glint sparkling in his eyes like a villain. "Not until we get where we want you to go."

"I beg yer pardon? Where are ya taking me?!" Neither one of them responded, and I couldn't speak anymore from getting jarred up and down while being dragged down the stairs. How on earth could they hold me up, anyway? These two were a force to be feared.

I steamed my own broccoli in silence as they dragged me across the school grounds, out the back doors, around the old, dilapidated buildings, and right in front of the towering, sparkling Royal Garden. As soon as I saw it, I began to furiously struggle again, but that only caused both of their grips to tighten. I got that Kukai-kun was strong, from the way some girls gushed about him being the king of sports or something, but why the hell was Nadeshiko-san so damned strong? Her grip was like that of a man's! I couldn't even escape as they backed into the Royal Garden's tall glass doors, dragging me behind them.

As soon as we were inside, my senses were assaulted by a kaleidoscope of colours and smells. Sunlight was reflecting off of the spherical glass building, casting prisms across the small, man-made river running through the center of the building. Flowers were exploding with colour everywhere I looked, small little fireworks of nature bursting across the dark, lush grass. There were even some butterflies flitting about in the seemingly magical place, giving it life and wonder in the melancholy fall season. I could hear idle chatter coming from an ornate, white wooden gazebo straight ahead, and the trickling of the small stream water running throughout the place. I was dragged across a cute cobblestone bridge in shocked silence, stunned by the glamour of my surroundings. How did it stay this beautiful? Damn, these kids were probably living it up.

The chatter coming from the gazebo was the work of Tadase-kun, and the other, small girl I saw with the Guardians the other day. Her voice was very high-pitched and childish, the kind you can picture smacking bubble-gum with. They glanced over at me and my kidnappers at our approach, and Tadase-kun stood from his fancy-ass garden chair in one suave motion.

"Welcome to the Royal Garden, Hisayuki-san," he said to me, only earning a grunt and a glare for a response. His kind, welcoming expression turned slightly remorseful. "I'm so sorry for the force used to bring you here; it was just very hard to speak with you when you were avoiding us."

"I wasn't really-" I cut myself off at the sound of my heavy accent, cleared my throat, and tried again. "I wasn't really avoiding you."

"Liar!" Said the small girl, her pigtails and red ribbons bouncing as she bolted up from her seat and pointed an accusatory finger in my direction. "We've been trying to catch your attention all week! You've definitely been avoiding us!"

I shrugged my shoulders, a difficult feat when both of my arms were being held in vise-like grips. "Fine, so what if I was? It's not like I'd be of any interest to you, anyway."

"What are you talking about?" Kukai-kun demanded from beside me, letting my right arm out of his grasp. Nadeshiko-san followed suit, and I rubbed both tenderly. They easily climbed the small steps to the gazebo to stand next to their fellow Guardians, and seeing all four of them in a place like this was a sight to commend, indeed. "Of course you're of interest to us. You used to be at the top of your class back in Louisiana, after all."

Before I could demand how he knew that, Nadeshiko-san picked up from where he left off with a small, elegant smile on her face. "You are also highly adequate when it comes to physical education, and you even have a strong taste for the arts."

"Not to mention that you play guitar," the other girl said while nonchalantly waggling her index finger in the air. "And that you're _good._ You work at East Side Mario's for about four hours every day as a waitress to pay the rent for your apartment."

As if my jaw wasn't dropped low enough, Tadase-kun continued. "You're actually eighteen, and you're only in grade eleven because you've been held back due to hospitalization. You love chocolate and mint flavoured things, and have never tasted alcohol or participated in any drug-related activities. A model citizen who is most definitely going places. And yet you have a horrible sense of direction, which often causes you to get into sticky situations."

They all finished telling me pretty much everything that made me an individual with identical smug grins. I gathered my wits and snapped my mouth shut, turning it into a snarl. "How the heck do you know all of those things about me? Are you a bunch of creeps?"

"No," Tadase-kun chuckled, his countenance irritatingly light and carefree. "You've simply caught our interest. You're not like the other students here, you see."

I narrowed my eyes. "What do you mean?"

Tadase-kun cleared his throat and looked to the other Guardians for a moment. They all nodded at him, then looked expectantly at me. I crossed my arms while glaring at all of them, when Tadase-kun suddenly announced, "Snow Hisayuki-san, we'd like to invite you to join the Guardians."

My eyes widened in disbelief, and I let out a scoff. "You're kidding me, right?" None of them laughed. "I have no qualifications for this, and I'm the new kid! I don't even know anything about you guys!"

"Formal introductions, then," Tadase-kun began. "My name is Tadase Hotori. I'm fifteen years old, and the King chair of the Guardians."

"Nadeshiko Fujisaki," said Nadeshiko-san formally. "Fifteen years old, and the Queen chair of the Guardians."

"Kukai Souma. Sixteen years old, and the Jack chair of the Guardians." He grinned at me with his pointy white teeth. "I'm also captain of the soccer team."

"Yaya Yuiki!" Said the perky little red-head. "Fourteen years old! I'm the Ace chair, and I adore cute things! So naturally, Snow-chan, I already adore you!" My face flushed from hearing those words from someone four years younger than me.

"But wait a minute," I stammered, avoiding each of their probing gazes. "If you're all younger than me, why are Tadase-kun and Nadeshiko-san in my grade? You shouldn't even be in high school!" I said to Yaya-san, who just waved me off dismissively.

"The Guardians are permitted to skip a couple of grades because of our duties to watch over the entire student body," Nadeshiko-san explained, an easy smile on her face. "Though you would remain as you are if you were to join us."

"Why on earth would I do that?" I demanded, backing up slightly. I didn't understand what was going on. They knew so much about me, an obscene amount of information no one else knew, and they were asking the new kid to join them. Was something wrong with them? I really didn't have any credentials for this position, especially since I had no experience and a very short fuse. "I'm not joining. No way!"

"Please, Hisayuki-san," Tadase-kun murmured, strolling down the steps and towards me like we were friends or something. "We need you. You're the only one who can take this position."

I tried (and failed) to control the flush that rapidly spread across my cheeks. "What makes you say that? Just because I get good grades?"

"Not only because of that," Nadeshiko-san giggled, and she held up something that caught the sunlight streaming in and sparkled like a star. "But also because of this."

I squinted at the object pinched between her forefinger and thumb, and was surprised to see that it was a small lock that could fit on a locker. Only it was much more ornate and grand, with four heart-shaped diamonds interconnecting in the middle like a four-leaf clover. The rest of it was a shining gold colour, and it looked incredibly valuable.  
"Um, okay," I said, backing away from them even more but making sure I didn't collapse backwards into the stream. "What does that little lock have to do with anything?"

"It's not just 'a little lock'," Tadase-kun sighed. "It's called the Humpty Lock. It is incredibly powerful and valuable, sought after by countless people so they can wield its strength. But only you can, Hisayuki-san. Because when I first met you, I was carrying it with me, and it resonated very strongly in your presence."

"Resonated?" I repeated, suddenly remembering that odd wail-like noise I heard from Tadase-kun in McDonald's. He _did_ leave rather suddenly after that. But this wasn't making any sense. How could a lock, an inanimate object, 'resonate' with anything? I turned to Tadase-kun, the question reflected in my eyes.  
He smiled at me, and it resembled the sun beaming down from the sky. "That is no ordinary lock. The Humpty Lock carries strong magic, and it resonates with someone who has a strong heart. I have never heard it react that strongly with someone before. I believe you were destined to join us."

What the hell was the matter with these people? Were they crazy? They were trying to sell me some unbelievable story about a magic lock that reacted in the presence of someone with a 'strong heart'. How can a heart even be strong, anyway? They were clearly deranged.

However, for the sake of an explanation, I heaved a sigh and decided to go along with their crazy story for now. "Alright then. What does this lock's resonance have to do with wanting me to become a Guardian?"

"Now this is the part that's going to sound completely weird," Kukai-kun snickered, like this conversation wasn't odd enough already. "Well, here goes. Ahem. 'All kids have an egg in their soul'."

Countless moments of painstaking silence followed thereafter, me glaring at each of the Guardians in disbelief. Finally, I managed to choke out the words, "I beg your fucking pardon?" Kukai-kun honestly just told me that all kids have an "EGG" in their soul. Were they all on drugs or something? There was no way that there was nothing wrong with them after they just told me that.

Kukai-kun nodded, clearly sensing my disbelief. "I figured that'd be your reaction. But it's the truth. These 'eggs' are manifestations of our hearts' deepest desires and dreams, like what we want to be when we grow up, or the type of person we wish to be. They're your 'true self' come to life, and if your wish is strong enough, your egg will emerge and then hatch into a personification of your wish. We call those 'Shugo Chara', or 'Guardian Characters'. Everyone has an egg, but only certain people's actually hatch."

"The Humpty Lock is linked to the Shugo Chara," Nadeshiko-san continued, and I was surprised that a level-headed and calm person like her was actually going on with this outrageous lie. They were clearly just messing with the new kid. I couldn't believe that they would do this, especially since they all seemed like nice people. "If someone is destined to hatch an incredibly powerful and strong Shugo Chara, it will resonate with them. Each of us Guardians have a Shugo Chara, you see, so naturally if you're destined to give birth to a powerful one, we want you among our ranks." She finished the explanation with a smile as graceful as the flowers swaying the light fall breeze.

I stared at all of them. That was all I could do. I was so shocked and dumbfounded from this story that I was at a loss for words. But then I swallowed the painful lump in my throat, and said, "Then… why can't I see them…? My voice came out strangled, which made me awfully embarrassed. I didn't want to show insane people like them how weak I was feeling right now.

Yaya-san shrugged. "You can only see them if you've actually given birth to one yourself. Yours haven't emerged yet, so it's only natural."

"This is crazy," I mumbled, backing away from all of them, across the bridge and towards the door. "You're all crazy. It's scientifically impossible for any of this to be real. Eggs inside of us? Please. Nobody's dreams are strong enough to manifest in the first place." I said the last part with a despaired glance down at my stomach, my scars gratefully covered by my clothes.

"This isn't science," Tadase-kun smiled. "It's magic. And it only comes true if you believe in it. I know it's hard to take in, but it's real. We're not lying, and we're not messing with you. These things really exist, and you're really going to give birth to one soon."

"I'm… I'm too old to have dreams!" I stammered, running out of excuses and just longing to escape. "I can't even have one of those… _things_ if it were possible."

Tadase-kun gave me a look then, one that wasn't pitying, but almost sympathetic. "You may have aged physically, but I believe that all of our mental states are still that of a kid's. We all have the hearts of children. Haven't you wondered why you still get lost even though you're an adult now?"

My eyes widened in shock, my hands curling into fists so tight that my long nails drew blood. It was true. I never got lost before when Mom and Dad were with me. But ever since they both vanished from my life, I didn't know where I was going. Even though I grew older, and matured mentally, in reality…

…I hadn't moved forward at all. I was still a child, watching in horror as my mother brandished the sharpest kitchen knife she could find before me to destroy my life.

But even so. This was all impossible. I didn't need a bunch of mad strangers telling me a crazy story, or what I was really feeling. I knew what I wanted out of life. I wanted to find myself. I wanted to get stronger. I wanted to be heard, unlike when I was a child and no one would listen to me. I wanted to be Snow Hisayuki, whoever that was. But she most definitely wasn't an insane person who actually believed in eggs that popped out of our souls.

"I don't need to hear that from you," I said, eerily come despite the storm of rage and confusion roiling in my chest. "I have someone I want to be, and that's me, whoever that is. And that's someone that I can find on my own."

Despite all of their shocked and somewhat wounded expressions, I was able to maintain a calm façade. I had dreams. And I didn't need any small, make-believe eggs telling me what they were.

Even so, the last thing I ever expected to happen, happened.

I could barely believe my eyes as something suddenly began shining from my chest. My first reaction was panic, thinking that something was going horribly wrong with me. It was a light that resembled a sunbeam blooming from where my heart was beating furiously, and it just kept growing and growing, like a curtain slowly opening to reveal the light of day in an otherwise dark room. I stumbled backward and hit the doors, but the light continued to shine and blind me. I grimaced away from me, tears threatening to prick in my eyes from sheer fear, but then suddenly, the light began to dim. I opened my squeezed eyes to see a now comfortable, warm light coming from me, and right in front of my face was-

My jaw unhinged like a snake's.

This wasn't possible. This couldn't really happening. There was no such thing as magic, and there was no such thing as the heart's egg. It was impossible. It couldn't be. It didn't make sense.

And yet, there they were. Three eggs, each the size of my hand, floating in front of me, each with a different design. One was red with black, flame-like patterns licking up the sides; another was white with purple and black lace patterns encircling it; the last was midnight blue with the phases of the moon shining on it, from a mere sliver to a blooming moon as the pattern went around. I thought I was hallucinating. They must've drugged me on whatever addiction they were on. Even though I smacked my face numerous times, the eggs were still there, and they were _floating_ in front of me. The light stopped bursting from my chest altogether, just leaving me, the eggs, and the Guardians, all staring at me in utter shock.

Then, to my distinct horror and disbelief, the red egg began shaking and cracking. I covered my mouth with my trembling hand and whimpered into it slightly. The egg was getting fissures in its side, like some cheap toy you'd find at Wal-Mart for Easter. My eyes felt like they were exploding from my head from pure surprise and disbelief, the Guardian's expressions mirror images of what mine must've been.

The fissures finally encircled the entire egg, and then it made a strange little _pop!_ noise. The shell fell to the floor, not cracking even though it should've, and in its place was a floating little person in front of me. A deranged smile began to crack on my face. I was finally losing my marbles.

The little person was clearly female, with long, crimson hair done up in a high ponytail with a little clip that resembled bat wings. A long black scarf was tied around her microscopic neck, cascading down the short few centimetres to her feet clad in black ballet slippers. The only thing covering her was a red bikini-like top with a black flame pattern, just like her egg, and leather short shorts. But the most striking thing about her was her eyes, an electrifying gold that reminded me of flickering yellow flames. Her pupils were the almond slits of a cat's, and they dilated in recognition when they kept staring at me.

Just before I started to scream, she proclaimed in a high-pitched, smug voice: "Heya, Snow! My name is Lilith, and I'm your first ever Shugo Chara!"


	5. Chapter IV- The Beginning

**_Mmhmm, new chapter, that's right. I appreciate all the views so far, thank you to everyone that decided to click on this fanfiction and give it a read! Please tell me what you think, because I have very special plans for it ;)_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara... or Ikuto *sigh*_**

**_~Crimrose_**

**_Chapter IV_**

**_The Beginning _**

"Jeez, chill out, spaz," said the little floating person in front of me, scratching her head in irritation from my screaming. She wasn't see-through or anything. She certainly _looked _real. But I had to be hallucinating. This little thing was like a fairy or something, for kids and purely make-believe!

"This can't be real," I gasped, grasping at my already messed up ponytail. I probably looked like I belonged with my mother, but I didn't care. I was too freaked out and panicked to even consider my appearance before the Guardians, who were all staring at me like _I _was the weird one.

Then, the little floating brat bitch-slapped me. It didn't hurt in the slightest, since her hand was about the size of my pinkie finger, but I did feel it. She was real. Tangible.

"Now do you think you're hallucinating?" She quipped haughtily, putting her hands on her hips, tipping her head back, and then laughing like an evil overlord. I couldn't believe this. The Guardians weren't lying to me. I wouldn't have ever believed their story if living proof of my own wishes personified was floating right in front of me. But at least the part about eggs in our heart and… 'Shugo Chara', or whatever, was true. My eyes were watering from the shock and disbelief. There was actually a little personification of my wishes right in front of me.

"Hisayuki-san," Tadase-kun suddenly said, snapping my attention to the Guardians that were all wearing deadly serious expressions. "Now you understand why we want you among the Guardians. It's highly irregular for someone to have two hearts' eggs, let alone three. You are meant for great things."

Even though I really wished I wasn't, I was trembling. Everything I could see was swimming in my vision, my fear and confusion affecting me physically now. I hadn't even believed in these things just seconds ago, now I'm being told that I'm special, even amongst the Guardians? I had always already been different enough, and now I'm caught up in some fantastical mess?

My eyes widened upon further speculation of the Guardians. I could _see _them. Their Shugo Chara that they spoke of. It was like mine being born was some kind of trigger that gave me that sight, and now their previously invisible forms were solid and real. Tadase-kun's character was a little king with a crown and pink hair styled like his, blue eyes looking down on me like I was scum or something. The one floating next to Yaya-san was a little baby in a pink onesie, her baby blue eyes and orange hair having the same appearance as her master's, childish and excitable. Sitting (or lounging, now that I thought about it) on Kukai-kun's shoulder seemed to be the miniature version of a stereotypical jock, decked out in sports gear and green hair spiked up. And not surprisingly, gracefully floating next to Nadeshiko-san was a very pale and graceful character, her violet hair tied up like hers and wearing a pink, flowery kimono.

Everything was true. I suddenly felt very faint and unsteady, my head swimming with all the newfound information. Was I having an identity crisis right now? What was I going to do?

"We have to move quickly," Tadase-kun suddenly said, a grim expression contorting his usually light and cheerful features. "He'll be coming after her after a new egg has hatched."

"Are we going to fight?" Kukai-kun asked, gripping his hand into a fist like the very thought pleased him.

"If it's unavoidable," Tadase-kun sighed, clearly not one for violence. I was trying to make sense of what they were talking about, but nothing was coming to mind. What were they going to fight? Who's going to come after me?

"We've already wasted so much time," Nadeshiko-san murmured, nervously biting her thumb. "He's surely already close by now."

"Yaya can take him!" Said the former, puffing out her cheeks like a defensive blow fish. "He's just a little cat-boy!"

… 'Little cat boy'? Did I even _want _to know what they were talking about? They all seemed very on edge, readying themselves into positions like warriors on a battlefield. What was going on? Did more people than the Guardians know about the Shugo Chara? I was suddenly reminded of the cult Tadase-kun spoke of, the one that used to take solace in the old school building, and shivered involuntarily. They believed in 'guardian angels' that followed you around and granted your wishes. I wondered how people would react if they knew that those people, supposedly crazy and criminals, were right all along.

"Whoa, you guys sure look defensive," a deep, masculine voice observed from somewhere above. All the Guardians stiffened then bolted out from the gazebo, their expressions alert and somewhat territorial. Their gazes each travelled to the top of the gazebo, wearing identical glares- except Kukai-kun, who was wearing something like a hungry smirk- and Tadase-kun stepped forward and pointed a threatening finger at a figure that was standing suavely on the roof.

What the- how had they gotten up there?! Not to mention that the roof was domed, and they should've been falling off by now. But the figure stood still, completely at ease and smooth, clad in something that resembled an all-black uniform with blue lining and silver crosses dangling from the shirt's collar and sleeves. Huh. For some reason, that very style and position reminded me of-

My gaze, wide-eyed and concerned, travelled up to the gazebo so I could see what all the fuss was about, carefully ignoring the little character in front of me. When the powerful, bright sunlight stopped glaring in my eyes, I finally got a good look at who was up there, and for the second time that day, my jaw unhinged from my head.

His sparkling midnight blue gaze met mine, a haughty smirk on his face that was apparently ever-present. That smirk slowly fell into a dropped mouth, showing straight white teeth and a pink tongue. I knew who that was. It was-

"Ikuto?!" I managed to choke out finally, and the Guardians' heads whipped back to look at me in utter shock.

"Snow?!" He demanded back, nearly losing his balance. Except something wasn't right. There were these… things coming out from the top of his head, coming to a strange triangular point, almost like… _cat ears?!_ And a _tail _was swishing back and forth nervously from his backside, proving that it wasn't fake or anything. This was insane. What was happening right now?! Ikuto looked like a cat-boy or something!  
He quickly regained his composure, smoothing down his dark hair nonchalantly. He grinned down at me, though the last thing it spelled was 'pleasant'. "So we meet again. I knew we would soon. And what do we have here- is that a new little Shugo Chara with you, along with two other eggs?"

_THIS WAS INSANE. _

Ikuto knew about them, as well! No wonder that he was asking if I could see something above his shoulder! But wait. That meant that he had a character, too?! Almost as if to answer my unspoken question, a little guy dressed in all black with a large cross down his middle popped out from under his hair, with the same coloured hair but golden eyes with cat pupils. Which I supposed was accurate, since he too was carrying dark cat ears on his head that matched the lazily swishing tail.

"Stay there, Hisayuki-san!" Tadase-kun demanded, jolting me out of my open-mouthed trance. "I don't know how you two know each other, but Ikuto Tsukiyomi is no good. And he's after your eggs!"

"WHAT." I snapped my head from Tadase-kun to Lilith, who was nonchalantly twirling a strand of lush scarlet hair around a finger. Then back up to Ikuto, who was bending his knees like a predator getting ready to pounce. Back to the Guardians again, who were all readying themselves and saying one thing in synchronization: "Chara Change!"

The fuck was that? I watched in a mix of awe and horror as Tadase-kun suddenly popped a crown on his head and a sceptre , Kukai-kun got a golden star clip in his hair and skateboard under him, Yaya-san obtained a baby rattle and bib, and Nadeshiko-san dashed two flower petals from her hair and held a naginata. I was about ready to burst into tears. I was past the point of non-believing and denial, finally realizing that a fight was about to break out between a group of four and one guy who didn't seem evil at all. Why were they fighting? It couldn't have been about my eggs and I, could it? Almost automatically, my eyes rested on the ground, where the other two eggs had rested after their little floating show. They seemed so innocent, so alive despite their dormant form. All of this was really happening. And even though I was only good with my fists, was I just supposed to sit there like a good little girl and watch someone possibly get hurt because of me?

I was right; these people knew nothing about me at all.

"I know what you're thinking," Lilith purred, floating up to my face to rest on my shoulder. I flinched and tried to brush her away, but she dodged easily. Her small weight was nothing at all to my seemingly giant shoulder, though it just made everything more real. I gulped down the lump that formed in my throat. "You want courage. You want the power to fight and protect these people."

I cast her a cold look, and saw that strands of my hair, falling out of its ponytail uncontrollably, brushed over her entire frame. I flicked it away, leaving my eyes locked with those pure golden ones, almost looking into my soul and burning it like flames. Even though it was crazy and unbelievable, this was really happening. I really had Shugo Chara, and she was questioning me on whether I wanted to protect people I had just met.

"Of course I do," I said fiercely, avoiding her probing gaze. Just because I accepted it to be real didn't mean I was any less freaked out. "After all, everybody means something to somebody. Nobody really deserves to get hurt."

"That's what I'm talking about!" She suddenly flew off my shoulder at lightning speed, a crimson little blur in the otherwise still and tense scene. Neither of the parties, Ikuto or the Guardians, had made their move, seeming to say things to each other with their mind. Tadase-kun actually looked a bit ticked off, a shock to me, while Yaya-san and Kukai-kun looked almost excited. Nadeshiko-san's expression was grim yet neutral, calm and assessing even in a situation like this. What on earth would they have to fight over? They all knew each other? From the way Ikuto and Tadase-kun were looking at each other, there was clearly some old history there, old wounds coming to the surface form just being in the same place.

Was that how I would look at my mother when we finally met again…?

Lilith was suddenly right in my face again, grinning like a little devil. I hadn't noticed before from her long hair and scarf, but tiny little bat wings were flapping on her back, a very small wind touching my face like a gentle snowflake. She held something up to me, though from her shaking arms, it seemed like it took a lot of effort. It caught the sunlight and sent four prisms in the four prime directions, which seemed to catch everyone's attention.

I tentatively reached my hand towards the Humpty Lock to take the weight away from Lilith.

"Hisayuki-san!" Tadase-kun exclaimed, whirling around to face me with a worried yet anticipating expression.

Ikuto's was the exact opposite. If anything, he glared at me in a cold and unfamiliar way that made my heart feel like it was being torn from my chest. "What is she doing with the Lock?!" He demanded, baring pointed kitty fangs at me. _Eep. _

I didn't understand their reactions. But I finally did when the lock was dropped into my hand, its weight somewhat heavy and firm. I stared into its four glittering crystals, each winking at me in the natural light. And then it began to shine like an exploding firework of white and yellow, swallowing me in an eerie and bright light.

A shriek automatically escaped from my mouth. Again with bright lights! This thing should come with a seizure warning! It began to make that whining sound again, the sound of a baby's first cry, and maybe a person's sadness, as I was completely enveloped in some sort of… warmth, like bathing in sunlight. I got that weird feeling that you get underwater, like it's hard to move your body through its density and wade through.

When I opened my eyes that were previously squeezed shut, I realized that it was because I _was _underwater. Or something like that anyway. It was too warm to be like a lake, though it was everywhere I looked. How was that possible? I was just in the Royal Garden a second ago! Had I fallen into the stream or something, and it was deeper than I thought?! No, that couldn't be. Tadase-kun had mentioned the Lock was magic, and this scene had only appeared after I had taken hold of it. Was _this _what he meant?

I began to struggle futilely, freaked out by my surroundings and wondering why my throat wasn't exploding from being unable to breathe. Then I realized it was because I _was _breathing, frantic and panicked breaths, but breathing nonetheless. I thrashed about, wanting to get out of this insane box of madness when Lilith suddenly appeared before me. She was glowing, the only definable feature about her the mischievous grin.

She slowly held out her tiny hand to me. I tried backing away, but my legs just flailed aimlessly in space. "It's okay," she said, smiling for real since the first time she had been born. "You can trust me and take my hand, Snow. I am you, after all."

"What's happening?" I demanded, miraculously speaking in a place like this and dodging the subject. "Where are we?"

"You don't have to worry about that," she giggled, showy pointy little fangs. "Just take my hand and you'll have the strength you desire."

I hugged my arms around myself, narrowing my eyes. "That sounds suspicious."

"I was born from your wish," she tried again, her tone slowly collapsing from peaceful to irritated. "'I want to find myself'. I am the missing element from yourself, the piece you require to complete your own puzzle."

Damn. I did think something like I wanted to find myself before all this happened, didn't I?

"Don't look like you regret it!" She snapped right in my ear, making me jerk away. "You won't regret anything if you just embrace who you want to be. That's why we're here."

"There's nothing scientific or believable about this," I growled, a worry line creasing between my two brows. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because this isn't science," she murmured, her smile confident and somewhat motherly. "It's magic."

I slowly began to drop my arms from my chest, my hands trembling slightly. Somehow I knew that the clock was ticking. I remembered that people were fighting, wherever they went to, and what if I never got back? Something had to be done.

"What if…" I said, my voice barely a whisper. "What if I don't take your hand?"

Her smile disappeared, replaced by a look of pure conviction and determination. "Then I'll take yours!" She yelled, and she rushed down and took hold of the ring finger on my left hand. The finger of promise.

Aaaaand light began exploding again, and it had the same feeling as when I went outside in the wintertime as a kid and got unexpectedly pelted in the face with a snowball. Everything rushed at me at once, and my eyes shut again. Light danced under my lids, glimmers of what was happening outside reflected upon my body. I felt something slide against my skin, my chest, my neck, my legs. My hair was swooped up by a strong, irresistible force, and stayed that way. It felt like my body was unconsciously doing a dance, my legs flinging about along with my arms. My body was a ragdoll being tossed about in a tempest. When everything finally began slowing down, I felt my feet touch the ground and could've collapsed to it in relief. But I didn't.

Because an indescribable feeling of power and courage was coursing through me, and I had never felt so sure or certain about anything in my life. Whatever was happening right now felt right. And so did the words that unconsciously formed on my lips as I gripped something attached to the random new belt on my hips: "Character Transformation: Femme Fatale."

My eyes opened as a loud choir of "WHAT"s was unleashed, each one sounding different than the last. I realized those were the voices of the Guardians and Ikuto, and I could feel their stares tingling at every inch of my bare skin. Wait… _bare skin?_ WHAT WAS GOING ON?

I looked down, and what do you know- my jaw was still attached enough for it to drop again. I was dressed identically to Lilith, a long black scarf covering my neck and chin, cascading down to my feet covered in shiny ballet flats with ribbons criss-crossing up my legs. Uncomfortable shorts were sticking to my thighs, and I realized that was because they were _leather._ Ew, what?! And why was there a spike-covered belt holding them up, with a… was that a _whip? WAS THAT A FLIPPING WHIP._ A snake-like whip was attached to a belt loop, coiling around my leg slightly like a tight rope. Oh my god, my entire stomach was showing with that stupid, near-bra thing Lilith wore with the flame pattern, the fine lines of my waist and thin stomach sticking out like a sore thumb. Yet my scars weren't visible, for whatever reason. Maybe it had something to do with the strange power coursing through me, but _come on this thing was basically a bikini top! _Thankfully some major cleavage was covered by the scarf, though my back wasn't so lucky thanks to the high ponytail my hair had somehow been neatly tied into.

"What the bunk is this?!" I demanded, spinning around to… I dunno, check if it was some sort of trick! I had suddenly changed clothes into something I would _never wear,_ even if my life depended on it, and I felt so exhilarated. Maybe I really was on drugs. That whole water-thing was pretty trippy.

"You just…" Tadase-kun murmured, his eyes finding mine and slashing into me with awe. "…Character Transformed."

"I what?" I demanded, my face flushing in embarrassment. I felt sorely tempted to go and duck into a very tempting bush that was practically beckoning me into the corner, but something stopped me. It was like a different force was moving my body, my arms and legs attached to invisible puppet strings.

_Don't flip out, _a familiar, dark voice whispered into my mind. It was Lilith! Did she somehow go inside of me?! _Yes, I am inside of you. Back inside your heart to help you fight, that is. _

"Well, git out!" I screeched aloud, making everyone but Ikuto flinch in surprise. "What tha hell is even goin' on? Why am I dressed like some sorta stripper?"

_I take offense to that._ Even though the voice was in my head, I could've sworn I heard her huff. _But everyone is off-guard now. We have to strike the enemy while we can!_

Since we were talking about striking enemies, I decided it was best to… I don't know, _think _what I wanted to say and hope she understood somehow. _But nobody's an enemy, _I thought. _I just wanted them to stop fighting, that's all!_

_ Oh? _She responded, seeming to have heard me loud and clear. _Even that punk-ass cat who wants to take your eggs?_

I was suddenly reminded of the current situation, snapping my head up to find Ikuto leaping of the gazebo with impossibly strong legs. He landed very close to me with hardly a thud, a cat landing on its paw pads silently and stealthily. A twisted grin covered his face as he approached, each step slow and deliberate, enjoying what he was watching unfold. "Looks like a stray little chick just laid some unwanted eggs."

"Izzat supposed ta be funny?!" I demanded, only just now realizing that the accent had come out.

"Kind of, but since no one's laughing, I guess I can say I lost that one." His grin turned into something like playfulness as he bent his knees down again, very much like a jungle cat stalking its prey through the untamed vegetation. "But this is a battle I won't be losing."

"Well at least he's not over-confident," I muttered sarcastically under my breath, but the strange dark ears on his head twitched, seeming to have heard me. He smiled like it was actually funny, and I stared at his added appendages in wonder, pondering how it would feel to touch them…

It was a damned shame that I was a cat-crazy person. This was like the epitome of my life right now.

_Get your mind out of the gutter! _Lilith telepathically hissed to me, and I started. "I wasn't-"

My being unable to finish was due to my arm moving on its own, the puppet strings pulling me again without my resistance. My body felt strangely relaxed in this used state, easily being controlled by something that wasn't really there. It reached for the whip and slashed it off of my belt and leg, and it cracked like that of a beast master's. My eyes narrowed into a ferocious glare at the cat poseur in front of me, and- I could barely even believe my eyes- I watched as he raised his eyebrows and smiled challengingly.

He clearly wasn't expecting my controlled arm to lash the whip sideways at him, and it actually seemed to stretch and grow in length, its scaly surface wrapping around his torso tightly. His eyes were widened in shock, and I almost giggled at his expression. Sure, he may have been the enemy in this situation and all, but I still took pride in watching the expressionless enigma's face drop because of me.

_What is this? _I wondered, not really asking Lilith but getting a response anyway.

_My power as a Shugo Chara, _she responded, and I detected a hit of pride in her unheard voice. _Increased speed and agility, along with the Serpentine. A whip that has the power to expand at will and tighten, like the tail of a snake. Or a dragon, in this case, since that's kind of what my character is modeled after._

_ Huh? Why a dragon? _I thought, my brows physically furrowing in confusion.

Her voice was silent for a long time as I held back my laughter, watching Ikuto struggle against the tightening whip. _Because they are strong, _she responded, unusually serious. _And because of… something else. But I suppose you'll find that out later. You have to find the missing pieces to your puzzle alone, after all._ She sounded like a fortune cookie. _I heard that. _Damn.

Suddenly Ikuto was smirking again, his broad shoulders shaking with unheard laugher. "What?!" I demanded, pulling the whip a bit. He barely even winced, seeming too distracted with his own private joke.

"Just this," he began, gesturing down to the whip with a light jerk of his cat-eared head, "feels incredibly naughty."

OH MY GOD. "Shut up, pervert!"I screamed as I threw the whip out of my hands like it burned me, earning a furious yell from Lilith inside of me. Ikuto slithered out of its grasp like he himself was the serpent, and leapt into the air with such grace I felt jealous. But then he landed near my eggs, reaching out a long and slender arm to snatch them.

The Guardians were running up behind him to put up a fight, but I was faster, thanks to Lilith. I almost felt like I had become the wind as I zoomed in front of him and pulled his arm away, earning a shocked and somewhat amused look. My gaze hardened as I stared into his two pools of endless blue eyes, seeming to almost get dragged in and drowned. A spark ignited somewhere deep inside of them as my grip tightened on his arm, and I was able to control my blush. _The heck was that…?_

"Fine," he said suddenly, making everyone come to an abrupt stop. "I give in for today, since I don't think there's a need to Transform. However…"

He trailed off as he wrenched his arm out of my grasp, surprising me into a gasp. He was right behind me, his towering presence casting a shadow on the cobblestone hidden from the sun because of us. His arms were suddenly wrapped around my bare stomach, and I had to stop an involuntary scream from exploding out of me. My face felt as red as Lilith's hair as his breath tickled my ear.

"I will be coming for your eggs," he whispered, and I didn't even look at his head beside mine, feeling that we would be too close. Besides, I could _hear _the grin in his voice. _'Coming for your eggs'. God that sounds dirty. _

I realized with a shocked squawk what I had just been thinking about and jumped away, my hand free from its puppet strings and turning into a fist. He dodged easily as I swung at him with a chuckle, and in a flash of blue and black, he had disappeared from the scene.

The blush still wasn't draining from my face. I thought he might be nice! He had rescued me from some thugs, from the heartless words of that bobblehead blonde, and, and… he _did _tell me not to just make assumptions about someone. Was all of that fake? Leading me on so he could steal the eggs he somehow knew would be born from me? But… that didn't feel right. Even if that mysterious, apparently cat-like boy was the enemy of the Guardians, something felt wrong. Like there were deep scars there, covered by layers and layers of lies and deceit and sorrow. I knew the feeling all too well, so I was familiar with the signs. Something was wrong with this whole situation. Why would he come after my eggs in the first place? Why was he the Guardians' enemy when he didn't seem like mine?

As I slowly felt my own school uniform slip into place and Lilith creepily emerged from my chest like it was melting, I turned to the Guardians and said, "I think you people owe me an explanation."

}{

I knew from experience that almost everything has a dark side to it. Seemingly happy families that are really just putting on masks, people who seem bright and cheerful that have deep-seated issues, couples that always fight while appearing fine on the outside. Darkness, sorrow, hatred… all of those negative emotions were everywhere in life. They were inevitable to feel. And if you never feel them, then you haven't truly lived.

Even so, I didn't expect there to be a dark side to the whole Shugo Chara thing.

Entranced, I sat at the ornately carved wooden table in the gazebo in the Royal Garden for a while after school- having went to classes earlier and pretended everything was normal- as Tadase explained the whole deal to me. While people like us, who have strong, pure wishes in their heart that give birth to the Shugo Chara, people that have a problem or issue buried deep will taint their egg with their internal darkness, thus creating something aptly dubbed an 'X Egg', because of the large white X that apparently appears on the smooth black surface of the magical dairy product. A hidden job of the Guardians was to protect the student body from having their eggs turned into such, something that practically flew in one of my ears and out the other.

So the Guardians were obviously just not any regular student council. The Headmaster apparently was aware of the whole deal, as well, which is why Tadase-kun, Kukai-kun, Yaya-san, and Nadeshiko-san were chosen to be Guardians in the first place because of their born and powerful Shugo Chara. They told me the X Eggs could be purified, but none of them have been able to accomplish doing so. They couldn't even Character Transform, the weird rush of adrenaline and power I felt earlier after I touched the Humpty Lock. That was apparently when you and your Shugo Chara kind of combined together to make like a mega-force type thing, your powers and strength shooting up to one hundred and twenty percent. Only people with really strong wishes, dreams, and bonds with their Shugo Chara can accomplish that.

Which made it all the more confusing as to why Lilith and I did it right after she was born. I didn't trust what was happening at all, and yet we still Transformed.

After Tadase-kun finished that whole explanation, each of the Guardians was looking at me somewhat expectantly. Before we had started the discussion, Nadeshiko-san had brought out tea and chocolate cookies, so I picked one up and chewed thoughtfully to avoid speaking. When I had gulped it all down, I leaned back in my chair, away from Lilith chatting with the other Shugo Chara of the Guardians, and crossed one long, pale leg over the other. "That doesn't explain why Ikuto came out of nowhere and tried to take my other two eggs." Which were now safely tucked away in my school bag. I didn't want to risk nearly having them snatched again.

Tadase-kun's expression darkened beyond recognition. "That's where the real problem lies. See, there's this legend about a magical egg going around, one that has immeasurable powers and can grant any wish. We call it the Embryo."

I started to laugh.

Kukai-kun raised one curved eyebrow. "Something funny, Hisayuki?"

I didn't think that they'd get the hilarity of calling a magical egg an embryo. It sounded completely ridiculous. So I pinched my lips together to bite back a smile and waved at Tadase-kun to continue.

He tried to smile, though it came out looking forced. "Naturally, people that know of the Shugo Chara and whatnot are desperately searching for this egg for their own gain. We are as well, because… well, let's just say I have something I want to achieve. But among the people searching for it is a company called Easter."

The laughter burst out of me all over again. They had to be kidding. What was the irony of a company called Easter looking for a magical egg called the Embryo? I was dying here, my arms wrapping around myself to clutch at my aching sides.

While Kukai-kun just rolled his eyes at me, Nadeshiko-san politely giggled along. "You have to admit, Souma-kun, it is rather funny." I flashed a friendly grin at her, and she smiled right back, though there was a slight colour to her cheeks.

"Anyway," Tadase-kun continued, his mouth twitching slightly. "Ikuto Tsukiyomi is working for Easter in trying to take the Embryo for whatever purpose they may have. He's always up to no good, and takes any new eggs he think may potentially turn out to be the Embryo, which is why he came for yours."

"If you don't know what their purpose is, how can you be so sure that it's not good?" I demanded, surprisingly defensive when Tadase-kun said Ikuto was up to no good. There was a piece missing from this puzzle as well, and I could sense that Tadase-kun was hiding it from me. I narrowed my eyes slightly at him, trying to read his expression, but being unable to.

"Because they purposely draw out X Eggs," he murmured softly and despondently. The air became very tense and quiet, and I noticed that Yaya-san had a sort of pout on her face, clearly uncomfortable with the atmosphere. I could understand why that may have been bad. Those were a person's hopes and dreams personified, and this 'Easter' was pulling them out and tainting them on purpose.

"What kind of company is Easter?" I asked, coughing to hide up a snicker that threatened to bubble up when I said the name.

"Hard to say," Yaya-san responded this time, her mouth covered in chocolate that was falling into her lap. "They are supporters of a lot of entertainment groups and figures that are pretty famous, so they've built up a pretty fair reputation. Getting on their bad side isn't what you'd call a 'bright idea'."

"I can tell," I grumbled.

"But with you, Hisayuki-san," Tadase-kun cut in suddenly, his countenance brightening, the sun peeking out from behind dark clouds and shedding the world in warm light. "I believe that we may have a chance against Easter and Ikuto Tsukiyomi. You have three eggs, and the Humpty Lock chose you, as well. You can even Character Transform."

"Yeah!" Kukai-kun exclaimed, pumping a tanned fist in the air profusely. "With Hisayuki on our side, the mysterious and aloof-"

"_Aloof?_" I repeated incredulously.

He grinned and continued. "The mysterious and aloof transfer student on our side, Easter doesn't stand a chance."

Before they all burst out into some kind of musical cheer I could definitely feel coming, I uncrossed my legs and pushed myself away from the table, standing tall and straight. "I don't recall ever saying I would help you."

"Huh?!" Yaya-san demanded, her small mouth dropping into a pink 'O'. "Why not?!"

"Because this is all crazy, and I just came here to accomplish my own goals," I said simply, avoiding their hurt gazes and trying to remain calm. "The last thing that I would ever want to do is get involved in something like this. It sounds reckless, and I don't even know what you want to do with this 'Embryo'. And as it appears you don't want to tell me, how on earth could I trust you with anything?"

"You're already involved," Lilith chirped from the table, and I looked down to glare at her. She was licking chocolate off her fingers and sitting beside Yaya-san's Shugo Chara, who was apparently named Pepe. "You were since the moment the Humpty Lock reacted to you, Snow. None of this is coincidence; it's fate."

My mouth twitched in irritation, a dirty look crossing my face. It kind of ticked me off that a little person I just met was telling me off, even if she was born from me. "I don't need to rack up any enemies after just moving here," I added, my eyes becoming slightly hooded with confusion. Everything was happening so fast, and my life had changed in an instant. They expected me to just join them in their fight with no qualms? I had problems of my own.

"I know it's a lot to ask," Tadase-kun murmured, a sad look crossing his eyes. "But you're the only one we can turn to. We have never encountered a person with as much potential as you, and who knows what could happen if Easter gets their hands on the Embryo first."

I tried to ignore him by making a show of pulling my phone out of my blazer pocket and checking the time. "I'm going to be late for work," I grumbled, hoisting my bag off the ground carefully so as not to jostle the eggs. "And this isn't my problem. I'm just a person who has Shugo Chara now, nothing more. I honestly believe there's nothing I could do to help you."

"That isn't what we're asking," Nadeshiko-san suddenly piped up, making me pause as I descended the steps to escape the Royal Garden that was suddenly becoming suffocating with all the cheery colours and prisms. "We're not asking if you _can _do it. We're asking if you want to."

"What I want doesn't matter," I said, my voice just above a whisper. "Right now, I'm trying to focus on what I need."

All was silent as I opened and closed the glass doors to the Royal Garden, Lilith following behind me somewhat begrudgingly. The sky had been dyed the colours of powerful flames, the golden sun casting downward with the late time. A fall wind blew as I walked away, blowing my skirt around me and making my hair come loose of its ponytail. I yanked it out altogether and could distinctly smell my coconut shampoo as it blew in my face. Bloodied leaves dusted across the ground with scuttling and scraping noises, abandoning their vulnerable and naked trees to the rapidly approaching winter.

_It's not my problem, _I repeated to myself, though I bit my lip in something that felt a little like heartbreak. It felt like I left a piece of myself behind in that Royal Garden, with the people that had become very familiar with me all too quickly. I did want friends, but not this. I wanted to live a normal life, something that seemed like such a luxury after all I've scrambled out of to get here. I couldn't even have that much?

I was fully aware of how selfish and cruel I was being. They were begging me for help, and I refused to give it. I felt heartless and broken, the complete contrary of the extraordinary experience I dealt with earlier. I paused in my walk, gazing up at the sky through the screen of skeletal branches above me, my eyebrows knitting together in sorrow.

_I don't know what to do._

_ I mess everything up._

_ No one really needs me. _

Pessimistic words as such flowed through my head, and I shook it vigorously, trying to keep a positive outlook. Though… there was really nothing I had to be positive about anymore. What was I going to do now? I had to deal with an annoying little person following me around all the time, and two other eggs that had yet to hatch. And I had to do it alone.

"Snow," Lilith murmured quietly, startling me. I was probably never going to get used to turning around and seeing how _small _she was, and how she could fly completely nonchalantly. The Guardians had no idea how they did it either, but Lilith brushed off the question by saying 'it's magic'. Right. Magic.

"What?" I asked, staring at her emotionlessly.

Completely catching me off-guard, she floated right up to my ear and screamed, "DON'T BE SO PESSIMISTIC!" I nearly tottered backwards from surprise and the ringing that was now resounding in my ears, but she didn't seem to care. She just crossed her arms in a pissed off kind of way and let out a huff. "You aren't being honest, with me or yourself. You really want to help them, don't you? You… really want something to believe in."

I smiled melancholically. "I guess so. But I don't belong there. Even though you're by my side now, that just makes things worse." I began picking up my walk again, bowing my head slightly so no one could see the shattered expression on my face. "I'm even more different now than I ever was before."

I wasn't good enough or strong enough to be a Guardian. But now I had Lilith following me around on top of my odd looks and behaviour. I was becoming more and more of a misfit, belonging to neither world.

It was ironic how much truth was in those words without even knowing it.

Even so, as I walked further and further away from the Royal Garden, it seemed like my heart was crying out to it. _I'm sorry, _it seemed to wail mournfully. _I'm sorry for being me. _

**_Well, the ending was kind of a downer, huh. But don't worry; next chapter I'm going to try and lighten things up a bit! But it's like four thirty in the morning so I'm not feeling very psyched about writing right now. Meh, it'll pass. _**

**_But now, a special treat! A quick Q & A with some of the characters so far, since there may be some questions that you have. To start off with, I'll be speaking to my cute, widdle Snow Hisayuki!_**

**_Snow: I am neither of those things._**

**_Crimrose: Hush up. Alright, so Snow. You seem like a relatively nice and polite person, and yet it seems that you have a record of violence. Why is that._**

**_Snow: *Gives very cold and humourless smile* Because people are annoying._**

**_-Insert awkward cricket chirping in the silence here-_**

**_Crimrose: Oh... kay, then. Maybe not so nice and polite. Though that's what I'm trying to make you come off as... I'll have to work harder. Next is possibly my favourite Shugo Chara character... Ikuto (obviously)!_**

**_Ikuto: What, I don't want to answer your dumb questions. _**

**_Crimrose: Well, too bad. Ahem. So, in the original Shugo Chara anime, you were very forward and, well, perverted towards the main character, Amu. While Snow is replacing her as the main character in this fanfic, you seem slightly less, y'know, erotic around her. Why is that?_**

**_Ikuto: *Shrugs* I don't really know. It's kind of awkward to since she's well-endowed and all, so I feel... like I should hold myself back more..._**

**_Snow: EXCUSE ME. WE JUST MET._**

**_Ikuto: *Smirks in her direction* But trust me. Now that I know she's got some Shugo Chara, and that she's with Seiyo Academy... let's just say she's going to need a lot of protection._**

**_Snow: Oh my fu- WHAT?!_**

**_Crimrose: Moving on before those two get out of hand, like what's going to happen progressively, so don't worry ;) I am now going to question a character who has only made small appearances, but seems kind of important to the story as an OC... *drumroll* LEE!_**

**_Lee: Huh? You wanted to ask me something? But people think I'm creepy._**

**_Crimrose: Who's damn fault is that. Anyway. So, Lee, in the chapters you've been in, you seem to express a certain... "interest" in Snow. Tell me, do you have any ulterior motives?_**

**_Lee: *Innocent and confused look* I'm afraid I don't understand._**

**_Crimrose: Okay, that's a bit too subtle for you... I'll just come right out with it then. Are you a paedophile, Lee?_**

**_Lee: WHAT?! NO!_**

**_Crimrose: You sound awfully defensive._**

**_Lee: I'M NOT, YOU'RE JUST ASKING AN OUTRAGEOUS QUESTION!_**

**_Crimrose: ... Are you SURE you're not a paedophile?_**

**_Lee: I AM POSITIVE. I HAVE A REASON FOR COMMUNICATING WITH HER LIKE THAT, YOU FILTHY PERSON._**

**_Crimrose: *Grins in slight victory* Oh? And what would that be?_**

**_Lee: ... Um._**

**_Crimrose: That's what I thought. Anyway, I hope you readers enjoyed this chapter and Q&A! Please leave a review or Lee will abduct Snow._**

**_Lee: I AM NOT A PAEDOPHILE!_**


	6. Chapter V- Faith

**_Phew, sorry for the late update :) I just haven't had much time to type lately. Anyway, I think this chapter is the longest yet :O I'm so excited! Can you guys guess what Snow's catchphrase could be from the number of times she said it in this chapter? ;) I think it's pretty obvious. I know all this OC and stuff may take some getting used to, but please bear with me and enjoy!_**

**_Disclaimer: I (sadly) do not own Shugo Chara. _**

**_~Crimrose_**

**_Chapter V_**

**_Faith_**

"Time to take out the trash, Hisayuki."

"Yes, ma'am," I nodded to Mrs. Garret, discreetly rolling my eyes when she wasn't looking. My job was to be a server, not the garbage lady. But nonetheless, I hefted up the overflowing black bag of trash and stench without complaint and carried it outside to the large blue bins in the alleyway next to the restaurant.

Thankfully it was too cold for any disgusting or pesky bugs to be darting around the bins, otherwise I probably would've been swarmed. The stench flowing from the many bags hit me like a physical thing, sticking in my nostrils until it became like a taste. I dropped the bag in the pile and began hacking the scent out of my mouth and nose, pulling down the black sleeve of my too-small East Side shirt and covering my nose with it. That just made it shrug further down my shoulder and cling to my chest, and I was thankful I was alone so no one could see its definition.

Or at least I thought I was alone.

As I turned around to start heading back into the bustling restaurant, chattering voices and clanking of dishes heard even from outside, I ran smack into a hard and sturdy body. The scent of rot and maybe death was instantly tided over by the person who I had run into, smelling like fresh soap and something slightly spicy and musky. I backed up and shook my head, covered hand still over my nose.

"I'm sor-" I cut myself off as I realized who I had bumped in to. Then I made a low tut at the base of my throat. "What are _you _doing here? I don't suppose you'll go away if I just asked."

"Fat chance," Ikuto Tsukiyomi chuckled, a deep rumble in his firm, flat chest. "Hello to you, too."

"I'm working here," I muttered, trying to push around him only to have my way blocked by his chest again. I glared up at him. "What do you want? My eggs aren't with me, anyway." Which wasn't exactly a lie. They weren't directly with me; just sitting inside of my locker in the small changing area near the restaurant's kitchen.

He made a huge show of rolling his electrifying blue eyes slowly, coming back to rest on mine in a wry kind of way. "I need a reason like that to see you?"

I crossed my arms with a huff and tried to make it look like the blush that covered my cheeks was just from the cold. "Of course. I barely even know you."

"But you'd like to," he chuckled again, stepping closer to me. I backed up a step unconsciously and nearly tripped over a garbage bag. He grabbed my hand firmly yet gently and pulled me back up from my backwards flailing, tugging me close to his chest. His head was cocked to the side, examining, curious.

I tried to wrench away, and my horrible strength compared to his- that of a man's- made a grin stretch across his face. "No way. Why are you even doing this? I'm not working with the Guardians to get the Embryo or whatever, if that's what you wanted to know."

Surprise briefly flicked in his intense eyes, but it was gone in a flash. "So you already know that much," he murmured, almost to himself. He slowly let go of my hand, looking somewhere far away that I couldn't see.

"Are we done here?" I demanded, shifting my weight to my right hip and placing an indignant hand on it. "I have work to do or my boss is gonna chew me out."

"Ouch. Why so cold, Snow?"

I couldn't believe he just said that. I stared up at him in blatant shock and horror, asking, "Was that supposed to be funny?"

He took one look at my face, then burst into loud, crowing laughter at my expression. The gesture may have been simple and insulting to someone else, but Ikuto's laughter seemed like a rare and precious treasure compared to his usual stoic expression. It made warm puffs of steam come from his mouth, and I found myself laughing along to its contagious, almost husky sound.

The alleyway was filled with uncanny silence as he stopped quite abruptly and whipped his head up from looking at the ground and laughing, the most incredulous expression on his face, with a wide grin and sky-high raised eyebrows. "What the hell was that?" He demanded, coughing slightly from his sudden mood swing.

I blinked up at him. "What was what?"

"Was that your freaking _laugh_?"

Automatically at the comment, I gasped and clamed a hand over my mouth. "What's wrong with my laugh?!" I demanded, watching in astonishment as he pressed his lips together to keep more laughter in and squeezed his eyes shut. "What's your problem?!"

"That was the most ridiculous sounding laugh I have ever heard," he gasped, his breath coming in and out in a rushed way. I coloured with shame and looked away, my chest stinging. Maybe Ikuto really was a bad guy, a cruel guy. I had never really thought so, and maybe the Guardian's little issue was making me biased, but suddenly he seemed a lot meaner than he would've if he had made fun of my laugh before I met them.

He saw the look on my face, and shockingly tried to stop laughing. Could he have been sparing my feelings from further ridicule? No, it couldn't be. He didn't really seem like a considerate person, his face always looking permanently unamused and somewhat angry. But now he seemed somewhat regretful, his eyebrows knit together in a frustrated kind of way.

"But it's contagious," he muttered, suddenly unable to catch my gaze. "So back away a bit before I start laughing again."

He had been thinking the same thing about me as I had been him, so with a smile on my face, I stepped back slightly with a wet sounding thud as my shoes smacked against the damp pavement. His eyes flicked up and found mine, and I could feel that my eyes were crinkling in the corners from my grin. Somehow he had known just what to say to make me somewhat melancholy again, and I was sort of… _pleased _to know that he felt like my laugh would make him laugh again. Weird as it sounded.

His expression was suddenly serious again, his mouth set in a firm line and eyes staring right through me. "Why didn't you join the Guardians, even after I attacked you?"

The dreaded question. I took a deep breath and held it for a moment, considering what to tell him. If he was their enemy and may come after my eggs again, I didn't want to let him into the private little world that was my thoughts, knowing that he may be able to dig up a weakness. The breath came out of me slowly and heavily. "I don't know," I said, as honestly as I could. "I just… I have… I don't know. There's other stuff I have to be doing. And it's not like I asked for these magical little eggs, you know. They just kind of appeared."

"That's what tends to happen," he quipped sarcastically, raising an eyebrow at my glare. "It's not like I care, anyway. I just wanted to know if I had to be watching my back for small people like you coming to pounce on me."

I let out a snort. "Who would want to pounce on you?"

And suddenly the irritating little smirk was back. "I can think of some people."

I pressed my lips together and looked away so I wouldn't laugh again. "Very mature." My voice trailed off as I stared up at the sky. The stars and moon were covered by thick, ominous clouds, the scent being carried through the air meaning it was going to rain. I inhaled deeply, just as Ikuto said matter-of-factly, "It's going to rain."

"You can smell it, too?" I asked without thinking.

He seemed surprised. "Yeah. My senses are kind of heightened, like a cat's. But why can you smell it?"

I shrugged. "I've always been able to. My mom used to tell me that I was better than the weather channel when it came to predictions about the heat and stuff. I guess we're even more alike now, huh?"

His blue eyes blinked slowly in surprise. "You think we're… alike?" He drawled, eyebrows slashing down in confusion- or maybe irritation. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, unlike you, I am not a pervert," I began with a murderous expression, and he had the nerve to waggle his eyebrows. "But… it seems like we're both… I don't know. I'm probably just making assumptions again, but… it seems like the both of us are hiding some idiosyncrasies from everyone else, you know? You get that far-away look in your eyes," I justified, pointing a finger at those two bright and intelligent blue traps. "Like you're always thinking about something more than the current situation. Well, what I've seen of you, anyway. I do that sometimes as well, because…"

I trailed off, lowering my hand so it fell slack to my side. I avoided his gaze and bit my lip. This comparison was probably only on my part, and I was only making him into what I wanted him to be. For some reason, I didn't want a guy like him to be bad, to be my enemy and work for the "evil" Easter Company. He had saved me on two occasions, and something about the way he talks, or the look in his eyes makes me think that there's more to him than a condescending smirk and cat-like façade.

"Because there's a lot for me to think about," I finished, looking back up at him.

His expression was carefully neutral, though it looked like he was breathing a bit harder than before by the rapid rise and fall of his chest. "I don't need someone to try and read me," he said with a flat voice, his eyebrows rising again. "You're overthinking it."

"I tend to do that," I muttered forlornly, a point-blank smile coming to my face as my own eyebrows drew up in mock acceptance.

We stared at each other in silence for a few moments, and I thought that the drop of wetness I suddenly felt on my cheek was the beginning of tears from the way my chest stung and ached from his blatant rejection to my words. But, no, as I confirmed by glancing into the sky and seeing raindrops splatter against the pavement with harsh plops. Ikuto didn't even glance up as he pulled the hood of his sweater over his head again, his face looking perpetually annoyed.

"Listen," he began, his tone somewhat harsh. I turned my gaze back to him, my bangs sticking to my head so much they eclipsed my right eye. His eyes opened again from being closed in concentration, and again I had to take note of how much depth they seemed to hold a world inside of them that only Ikuto could see. One that was probably clouded and dark, from the look on his face.

"I don't know about your circumstances," he began, crossing his arms over his chest, his pale hands a complete contrast against his dark sweater. "Nor do I care." Now I was getting a bit pissed off at his blunt way of putting things. "But you shouldn't let who you believe you are cloud your vision of who you _really _are, know what I mean? Now that you have proof that there's a wish in your heart, it's up to you whether or not it pushes you forward or backward. But just consider this: the fact that you found about them today, as you are now and no one else… could it have been fate?"

It was kind of hard for me to understand what he meant. But after a few moments of staring at him blankly as the rain began to become heavier and soak through my clothes, I got it. He was somehow managing to smooth out the worries I had been carrying by saying that even if I didn't think myself worthy of dreams, or of great and popular people like the Guardians, maybe this was all meant to happen. Maybe I was meant to join them, to enter their world even if I wasn't a perfect person.

My heart sped up at the new revelation. If I joined them… if I helped the find this 'Embryo' and somehow got to know them better, would I become stronger? Would I find the courage I never had to go and face my past and future? I may have just been overthinking things again, but… I wanted to believe that the person I was now could become better by joining those people on their journey to find themselves, and the wish they hoped to grant.

"Those were the great Ikuto-sama's words of wisdom for the day," the former called out to me from a ways down the alley, almost drowned out by the rhythmic drumming of rain against the nearby homes and pavement. Irritation bubbled in my chest and temples at the haughty way he addressed himself, but before I could snap at him for it like I know I would have, he turned on the heel of his boots and began stalking away. "I'll be seeing you, Snow."

For once, I was going to let go of the informal way he addressed someone he just met a few days ago. Instead of calling him on it, I said, "Wait!" To his retreating figure, almost fuzzed out by the screen of precipitation. He turned back slightly, his expression unseen because of the hood.

I reached into the pocket of my East Side issue apron, pulled out what I wanted to give him, and tossed it so it sailed through the air in a perfect pitch. Despite being turned away from me, he reached his hand up and caught it easily, briefly examining it before turning back to look at me with a bemused expression.

"Thanks for stopping by," I called begrudgingly, my face so red I could've sworn steam was coming off of me from the heat and rain.

Ikuto tore the wrapper off of the sucker that we gave to customers with their bill, a cheap little thing with a screwy version of the Italian flag printed on it, shoved said wrapper into one of his pockets, then shoved the candy in his mouth. After scanning me up and down for a few moments and sucking thoughtfully, leaving me to stand there awkwardly, he took it out of his mouth and licked it once seductively. "Nice shirt, by the way," he cooed.

_What? _It took me a minute to remember that the shirt was way too small and clung to my chest like a glove, even more so now that it was drenched from the rain. I hurriedly crossed my arms over my chest, my face turned into a snarl, and screamed at his now walking away form, "You're such a freaking lecher!"

His shoulders shook with unheard laughter, and I watched him until the screen of rain obliterated him completely.

And here I thought that he had a shred of decency and thoughtfulness in him. God.

}{

"Whoa, this place is awesome!" Lilith screeched the moment my fumbling hands managed to open the apartment door, flying into the room at Mach speed. My exhausted body stumbled in after her, checking to make sure the door was locked again, and then collapsed on the couch with a weary grunt. I could hear her explosive, maniacal laughter as she swooped and darted throughout the air, earning yet another grunt from me that roughly translated to, "Piss off."

"Aw, come on, Snow," she whined, suddenly right by my ear. I waved her off half-heartedly, my arm so exerted from simply lifting it that it just fell slack to my side again. "I mean, sure, you're manager could be the first world equivalent of a slave driver, and that cat-guy is completely bonkers, but'cha got ME now!"

"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" I asked, my voice muffled from the soft fabric of the couch.

"'Course!" She sang, her voice so high-pitched and small that it reminded me of a mouse when I couldn't see her. "And at least that guy gave you some encouragement, even if he was staring at your boobs while he said it."

Now I actually managed to grumble "piss off".

"Not a chance," she chuckled, and I felt a very light weight rest on my head. "So how about it? Are you gonna try joining the Guardians?"

It took a while for me and my overtired brain to respond, the events that had occurred over the day finally crashing down on me like one big tidal wave. "Maybe I'll try," I finally managed to mutter. "I mean, if they're even willing to still have me after what a bitch I was."

"You weren't a bitch," she responded with a snort. "You've always been oversensitive to the small stuff. Just relax and don't care so much about what other people think, yeah?"

Something she had said caught my attention, making me struggle to maneuver myself into a sitting position. My messy white hair created a curtain around me, the weight that was Lilith coming off my head as I moved. Her form was obscured by my bangs, and she thankfully but uncomfortably picked them up in both small arms and tried to tuck them behind my right ear. I shivered at her unfamiliar touch, so foreign and small it felt like a dream or something. "Even though you were born today," I began, seeing slightly better as she proudly placed her hands on her hips. "Have you always been inside of me, seeing what I saw and feeling what I felt?"

She shrugged somewhat helplessly. "Ever since your mom made those," she spat, floating down slightly to jab at my stomach. She meant my scars. "That was the day when you began wishing for things to be normal, know what I mean? Your life changed so drastically that you began wishing to find who you are so you wouldn't be lost in the dark any more."

"Fat lot of good it did me." I leaned further into the couch until it appeared like it had eaten me. Old memories that I'd rather forget were being dug up, Lilith's words about my past being the shovel. I still remembered that first week I had been admitted into the orphanage, none of my relatives willing to take me in because of my mother's unwanted love for my father. I was like a zombie, not really feeling or seeing anything in front of me. I hadn't eaten, since everything made me feel sick. I hadn't slept, in fear of waking up to see everything changed like what happened after I left home to go to school and came back to find a demon in my mother's body.

Even though none of the kids there had parents, this one child, slightly younger than me and aptly named Mao, had jabbed fun at me because my mom had physically abused me. And so, almost unconsciously, I had abused him until he could barely breathe.

_"Snow," _one of the caretakers had spoken to me softly as I was sent in my room to repent. _"Why did you hit that boy until he couldn't move anymore?"_

I had been silent for a long time, my voice so unused that it took a while to summon up. But when I did, it was smooth yet flat, no emotion showing through it.

_"Because I wanted to."_

Back in the present, I heaved a large sigh as my chest felt like it had been ripped out, so filled with guilt and despair at hurting Mao (who surprisingly became my friend after that even though bruises were purpling around his eyes) that it made me want to wretch. I decided it was time for some good ol' food, the memories of starving for days making me starved again.

"Um…" I asked Lilith tentatively, who was jumping on the buttons of the TV remote. "Do you… you know, need to eat?"

Very abruptly, she stopped jumping and coincidentally changed the channel to a horror flick. It was one of those times in horror movies I hated, when one of the characters was all alone in a dark place with scary music playing and you knew something was going to happen. Just as the high-pitched, skin crawling music increased an octave, she slowly turned around to look at me like she was possessed by the Devil himself.

Before I nearly I screamed myself deaf, she rolled her flaming golden eyes at me. "Unless I want to starve, yeah. I may be what one would call a 'magical creature', but that doesn't mean that I don't have needs."

My eyes flicked from her back up to the flat screen of the TV. That character that was once all alone was lying in a puddle of blood. Eugh, I hoped that wasn't a premonition.

I shook my head, cursing myself for hating horror movies and letting them affect me so easily. Ever since Mao thought it'd be a fabulous idea to show me a bunch of ancient horror flicks on video cassette that we happened to find in some old boxes, I haven't been able to stand them. The flickering lights and lack of colour made him laugh, but they made me bleak and terrified. The phobia has plagued me ever since, just like my sudden dyrexia.

To busy myself away from thinking about stuff like that, about how some of those things may very well exist (after all, magical little eggs do, so why not), I began chopping up some vegetables bought right after school and before work to make a salad, and threw chicken on a frying pan to toss in later. It landed with a grimy sizzle that kind of put me at ease, since it reminded me of all those times I came home from school with my two adopted siblings, Theresa and Nate, to find Mary already at work in the kitchen. My apartment began smelling like home.

Except my home back in New Orleans _did not _include a very tiny yet very annoying person buzzing around my ears every few seconds. As I fried and I chopped, I wondered what I was going to do with her. Keep her with me always? It didn't seem like a bad idea, since apparently regular people can't see that Shugo Chara. And I couldn't just leave her home alone. From the few hours I had known her, she already seemed rambunctious and irresponsible, someone who did stupid things purely for entertainment. Keeping her by my side was probably my best bet. And, besides, what if Ikuto… or something else… tried to attack me again? I could only use my fists to defend myself, and when battling with magic, that seemed like a very unappealing idea.

_ Shit, almost cut myself. _For a bit, I tried to focus more on my chopping than letting my mind wander and risk losing a finger, but it honestly didn't last long. I dumped the rinsed and chopped vegetables into a salad spinning bowl and began to spin it all around. What about the other two eggs? Would they always buzz around me as well? It's not like I wasn't used to be constantly pestered; I lived in an orphanage for Chrissake. But by little mythological creatures seemed like a bit of a stretch.

As I put the finishing touches into my… _our _dinner, I wondered what would hatch out of the other eggs. I didn't understand how a missing element of myself was someone like Lilith; I didn't ever recall wishing to be a sadist. But maybe there was something I was missing when analyzing her. Or maybe… I just didn't know myself as well as I thought I did.

After eating everything up and gulping down a tall glass of root beer, Lilith's tiny little serving admittedly adorable, I did all my homework as well as I could with the way I was getting lost in my thoughts. When it came time for bed, I set my alarm for six thirty, and wondered where I was going to put Lilith and the other two. I decided on a little box I used for delicates in my moving, and stuffed it with the softest towels I could find, afraid of what would happened if my eggs actually ended up breaking.

Lilith didn't bother to thank me for putting food in her belly or making her a place to sleep, though I didn't expect her to. I kind of shrugged to myself while pulling on pyjama shorts with Hello Kitty on them and a spaghetti strap tank, then shut off the light on the wall beside my door. It was fairly easy to navigate through my room without the light on, since the balcony right outside shed enough moonlight in to practically light the entire place up. I made sure the door was locked, completely paranoid about _everything_, then snuggled into my blue and black floral duvet and cover. It had been a long, rough, completely random day, and I was knackered.

Just before I slipped into a comatose state, the way I always slept, I heard a very small and very sleepy "Goodnight" from where the box of eggs was stationed on the computer desk.

The inside of my chest suddenly felt very warm and very high. It was nice having someone to say goodnight to me again, which had stopped by the time I was eight. Maybe having three new housemates that didn't require much maintenance at all wasn't such a bad thing.

I had a new outlook on tomorrow for the first time since I moved here. I was actually excited when wondering what it would bring.

}{

"I want pancakes!"

"Goddammit, Lilith, how many times do I have to tell you that we don't have enough time? Go shove yourself in the mix if you want them so damned badly."

My regret for ever having wished for something began in the morning, when Lilith was screaming in my ear as my alarm went off. I bolted out of bed with flailing arms and accidentally ended up flinging her across the room. But she got up as if nothing happened and continued to annoy the absolute living _shit _out of me as I got ready. While I had a quick shower, she kept singing 'Toxic' by Brittany Spears horribly off-key, wherever she heard that damned song. Almost immediately after I began worrying if she had access to all of my memories, like every single drop of water I'd seen or something and I wouldn't be able to escape from her.

She demanded I let her use my toothbrush, then she nearly choked on it. She tried to help me braid my hair, and ended up getting all tangled and painfully thrashed about. She threw my house keys at my head as I ate cereal, and thought that the best place to take a bath ever was the instant French vanilla cappuccino I had steaming in a mug. Now she was screaming at me about pancakes, and all I really wanted to do was throw her in the washing machine and sigh if she survived.

I was almost out the door when she screamed at me to wait. I whirled around with the most murderous expression on my face when I saw that she was pointing in the direction of my room, somewhat expectantly.

"What is it?" I asked, pulling on my DMs and tying them hurriedly.

"The other eggs," she stated simply, and it almost sounded like she was accusing me.

Once the leather laces were all tied, I looked at her sardonically. "Am I supposed to drag them around with me wherever I go until they hatch?"

"Yes, jerkass."

"What did you just call me? I wouldn't be insulting the person that feeds you."

"Just get the damn eggs, Snow, and then we can leave."

I stared at her with a sour expression on my face for a few moments, then heaved a heavy sigh. "Fine." I stormed back to my room, carefully scooped up the eggs in a towel and set them gently in my bag, then breezed out again, hardy even waiting for Lilith to catch up.

The elevator was tragically carrying the mother and son from my first night here, the little boy looking up at me with big, curious eyes. I leaned against the wall opposite them and looked away, not wanting to stare at them in the small space. The boy was wearing a small Spongebob backpack, meaning that he too was on his way to school. When I slid my gaze over to him just slightly, reminded of when I was like that with my father, I found him staring at the space Lilith was floating in and my heart fell to my stomach.

"Don't worry," she snorted, waving her tiny hand dismissively. "Children can see us because they have unclouded eyes and are free to imagine and see what they please. They also have their own eggs being born inside, unlike adults, who mostly destroy theirs on their own."

I wanted to ask her about that, but I didn't want the boy's mother to think I was talking to myself. Even if I did have wishes deep inside, I was an adult now. Why did I still give birth to my eggs? Would they even be around for that long? I'd feel pretty damn stupid if I worked in an office in the future and they were all buzzing around and putting weird things on my computer for my coworkers to see.

The image made chills run down my spine. That seemed like the worst thing that could ever happen.

The boy smiled up at Lilith. Being a total and complete idiot, she grinned so largely her eyes closed automatically and waved at him in super speed.

_Goddammit Lilith. _

We stepped out of the elevator together, and I began digging my iPod out of my black blazer pocket. Lee was in the lobby, picking up mail it looked like, and as I shoved my earbuds in my ears, he smiled and waved at me. I returned it with a grin, my hands busy being shoved in my pockets again. I was left with my music, alone with my thoughts and such at last, and all Lilith did was make a sour face and tuck herself into the V neck of the blazer, her hair nearly blending right in with the red tie.

Not as many people stared at me near the school as on my first day, though I guess that was to be expected. I had been here for a week now, and everyone was calming down about the whole 'new kid' thing. I still didn't have any solid friends to speak of, though that was also to be expected. I had to try harder. I didn't want the only people I had as friends to be the little people that followed me around all the time.

As I walked, I realized that I hadn't really put any thought into what I wanted to do about the Guardians. Would it be worth changing my life to help them find this magic egg? Was I even worthy? Unlike them, all bright, popular, and cheerful, there was always going to be a wall separating me from everyone else. A wall that I create myself without realizing it, and no matter how much I wanted to, I just couldn't break it down anymore. What did I want to do? Did I really want to change?

Almost like a summoning, I heard a familiar, lilting voice call out to me, "Hisayuki-san!"

And so the King returns.

I turned around slowly, the fall breeze stirring the scratchy leaves on the ground and blowing my hair into my face. Normally, I would've brushed it away, but I kind of desired to hide at that moment. I had let Tadase-kun and the other Guardians down yesterday. I didn't want to see what expression he had on right now, positive it would be one of contempt or disappointment.

Even so, I heard his footsteps resounding on the pavement as he reached my side, and I could practically feel him smile at me. "The wind's getting stronger, don't you think?"

I could only nod, unwilling to let him see how much my face clearly expressed my self-loathing.

After walking for a few moments in silence, he took a deep breath beside me as I finally brushed my hair away. He exhaled quickly, a look of determination on his face. "You know, we haven't given up on you yet. All of the Guardians- myself included, of course- think you'd be a great addition. And you're plenty adequate for the position, don't you agree?"

_"The fact that you found about them today, as you are now and no one else… could it have been fate?"_

Ikuto's words flowed through my mind as I remained silent. Even if he was kind of a jerk, he did have a really nice way of putting things. Maybe the person I was right now was enough to join these people and be useful to them. I hated myself because I didn't believe in that. I hated how I didn't have any confidence. There was no excuse for my being like this, even if both of my parents abandoned me at a young age. I was always getting lost. The only one who could find the right way was me.

"Let me… think about it," I finally told Tadase-kun, looking at him head-on. I didn't want to avert my gaze anymore. I wanted to become someone stronger, a person who people would listen to, rely on, hold in high regard. And maybe that was why my eggs were born now of all times. Even though I had become an adult, I had only begun to face my own desires after coming to this city. That had to mean something.

Tadase-kun's expression was bright; blindingly so. His maroon eyes held a spark within them, almost like a blazing fire. "Really?" He asked, and I just shrugged. "That's great. I know you've been through a lot already, and that you didn't ask for any of this, but… I'd truly be indebted to you if you decided to join us."

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, waving my hand dismissively. To be honest, I was embarrassed to even be having this conversation right now. I didn't care about him being indebted to me or whatever. I was doing this for myself. And besides… it did seem kind of interesting. A new spice in life I never knew existed.

"Snow-chan!" Called another voice from behind me, female this time, and very high-pitched and girly. I recognized it as a girl from my art class I spoke to since we were seat partners, Weiss… something foreign? Ugh, God forbid I actually remember the full name of a person who spoke to me. Though she seemed like the type of person to speak to less popular people because she pitied them, what with her gorgeous blonde locks always in doll-like ringlets and big gray eyes. From what I'd seen, she was always smiling and laughing with people.

I pointedly looked away from Tadase-kun and put a smile on my face. "Good morning, Weiss-san."

She caught up to us, bundled in a white fall coat and fuzzy blue scarf that seemed to keep blowing on and tickling her chin. "It really got cold all of a sudden," she giggled, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering. I wouldn't know. It only occurred to me now that I had zero cold cover, making me seem highly out of place. If only I could just feel the cold like other people, instead of a weak breeze blowing against me constantly that had no effect. Even so, Weiss-san was still willing to speak and keep idle conversation going, and she didn't even seem to cower in Tadase-kun's presence.

"Good morning, Tadase-kun," she smiled at him, and he returned it. "Got anything special planned for the Guardians today?"

"Well…" he began, looking at me pointedly. I avoided his gaze by scratching the side of my head distractedly. "We're waiting for a new addition, to be honest."

"Whoa, really?!" Weiss-san's expression was one of pure wonder and thrill, surprising me. The Guardians were really that special? Did everyone look up to them like that? "Who?!"

"Well, if they do decide to join us, we'll announce it formally." I couldn't tell if he was being evasive to save me from embarrassment or questioning, or if he really wanted to keep it a secret. I didn't really care, either way, as long as I didn't stick out too much for now. There was already so many new things happening to me; I didn't need to be the center of attention as a new Guardian on top of that.

Weiss-san's lips, painted in a bright pink and sparkly gloss, slipped into a model-like pout. "Can't you tell lil' ol' me? I swear I won't tell another soul."

Tadase-kun actually let out a loud laugh, completely contrary to his gentle image. "Sure you won't, Yota-san." _That _was her last name. I should've remembered that. "You can wait for the announcement like the rest of the student body. It'll come as a surprise to everyone, that's for certain."

Weiss-san made a noise of irritation deep in her throat. "That's annoying. Oh well. That just adds to the mystery." She quickly stepped in front of Tadase-kun and I, halting our steady pace and causing our gazes to stray to her. She winked a misty gray eye and said, "Maybe I'll end up finding out myself."

_Doubtful. _I let out a small smile and brushed past both of them, oblivious as to how to carry on a conversation with people like that.

And so began my day of unbelievable cowardice. Nadeshiko-san's gaze was always on me in English class- and I do mean always- and I deftly avoided it. In art, Weiss-san stationed herself beside me and began to rattle off theories as to who she thought the new Guardian would be (all wrong, of course), and I noticed that when she wasn't speaking at the speed of light, her eyes became clouded and distant, her sketchbook filled with idle, almost creepy scribbles of dark rooms and wide eyes.

Because I was so keen on avoiding the Guardians, I actually ended up eating my lunch in a supply closet. At least I had Lilith for company, though all she did was bark at me for being a wimp and avoiding my problems. I shook her off and changed the subject to something that had become an idle tickle at the back of my mind, only ignorable for so long.

"Weiss-san seemed kind of different today," I murmured between bites of my Caesar salad wrap.

"Really?" Lilith asked, taking a very small bite that was almost invisible. "I don't pay much attention to anyone but myself, really." _I hadn't noticed. _"I feel like you just thought something really rude."

I popped the cap of my water bottle. "No. It's just that… I've always seen her so cheerful and stuff through the week, you know? But now it seems like the air around her is heavier, somehow."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I do feel something dark blooming inside of her." I filled the cap with water and handed it to her. She crossed her small legs on the white-tiled floor that smelled distinctly of disinfectant, took it in her arms, and chugged it down. "Though I guess hatching would be a better word."

My hand froze on the way to bringing the bottle to my lips. My eyes were wide as I flipped my gaze down to Thumbalina. "You couldn't mean that she has one of those things… um… an 'X-egg'?"

Lilith shrugged. "I don't know; I was just born yesterday. But I do feel like that's the case. They come from people with a problem or difficulty in their heart, right? Maybe Weiss' smile is just a complete reflection of how she's feeling on the inside; something that's flipped and the opposite, know what I mean?"

"I never… thought of it like that," I murmured into the dark room, licking Caesar dressing off my fingers.

"You're not the only one in this world with problems." _Goddammit, Lilith, you're such a brat. How is it that I want to become someone like you?_

"Of course I know that," I said absently, letting my head fall against one of the many wooden shelves that held cleaning materials and… unidentifiable objects. "Everyone alive has a side of themselves that they keep hidden. We all have depth to our eyes, the windows to our soul. It's just… some people's acts and masks are so convincing, that maybe they themselves begin to fall for it." I shrugged, tapping my feet clad in knee-high black socks and red flats against each other. "That's something I know all too well."

Lilith shrugged in return. "Maybe you should ask her about it. You guys look like friends to the unknowing eye."

My heart skipped a beat at the word 'friends'. Did Weiss-san and I really seem that way? Because I really did hope that we could become friends. She was nice, and was just like Tadase-kun in the sense that they both emit a warmth like sunshine. I would be willing to listen to her problems. And maybe… she could listen to mine.

I let my head fall back some more so I was staring at the dark ceiling, which most likely housed some horrifying spiders. I felt like… I was ready for change now, for certain. I wanted to join the Guardians and help them. And maybe find myself along the way. That's what I came here for, anyway. I couldn't run away anymore.

With that in mind, third and fourth period flew past me in a blur of documentaries and baking cupcakes. I wanted the end of the day to hurry up and come so I could visit the Royal Garden, ask to join the Guardians, and cast away my embarrassment as soon as possible. So when the final bell rang, I practically leaped out of my seat and was speeding at the door like a bull tempted with a red cloth. I tried to keep my pace quick as I navigated my way through the halls, passed the bustling students that had no idea what could have possibly been going on with the strange student council of this school. They didn't know why I was in a hurry. They didn't know that my future could've depended on what happened today.

But when I got outside and started to head west (I think), the direction the Royal Guardian might've been in, I saw Weiss-san standing alone under one of the large oak trees, the leaves completely dyed red by the merciless autumn and making her seem much more solemn than usual. She seemed hesitant to move from that place. I froze on the marble steps, torn between two places that meant a lot to me. I could go to the Guardians any day, but now Weiss-san was alone and shaking just a distance away.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was already beside her and gently grabbing at one of her cream-coloured hands with my porcelain one, and her shocked gray eyes raised to meet mine, a few inches above.

"Sorry," I rattled, letting go after realizing that I was being rude by touching he so familiarly. "Um… it may not be my place to say, Weiss-san, but I couldn't help but notice that you seemed slightly different today." I cleared my throat, feeling like my heart had lodged itself in there, and asked, "Is there anything on your mind? Because if there is, I- I find it's always better to tell someone and get it off your chest. I'm willing to listen to anything you have to say, because I…"

My words got caught, my gaze falling to the dying grass at my feet. The students from the academy were already leaving, laughing and chittering in small groups and almost leaving her and I completely alone. "Because I want to be your friend," I finally breathed out, looking her straight in the eyes with my peculiar ones, hoping to convey all the feelings I didn't have the courage to say in one look.

Weiss-san seemed completely shocked at my words, from her wide eyes and slack jaw. But it seemed like I had hit the nail on the head when I thought something was wrong, because her mouth slowly closed into a tight line, and her eyes shone with unshed tears and overwhelming sadness.

"Snow-chan," she sniffed, trying to force a smile on her face. "You're so kind. Even if you think you aren't, there's always these little things I notice about you that make me think that." I was at a loss for words, both of our light hair brushing across our shoulders in the fall breeze. "You smile at people laughing around you, like you're happy for their happiness. Your eyes are really bright and attention-grabbing. I've… always wanted to be someone like you."

Before I could respond, she turned away from me to stare at the street beyond the wrought-iron gate, and her voice was heavy with emotion when she said, "I'm… supposed to get married."

I blinked rapidly many times, my eyebrows slashing down in confusion and shock. Lilith, who had been delicately perching on my shoulder and smugly listening to the conversation, fell off and face-planted on the grass.

"I'm the daughter of a famous company," she explained, and I couldn't help but think it was kind of clichéd. "So, naturally, they want to marry me off as soon as possible so someone can inherit it and we can produce an heir. I've grown up around teachings like that my entire life, but now that the time has come so quickly, I… I don't know what to do. I like someone else, actually, and just try and imagine me getting hitched. I think it's pretty difficult, actually."

"Um…" I couldn't really think of anything to say. There were no words of comfort I could give her, because I was extremely socially awkward, and I didn't properly understand her situation enough to sympathize with her. "Who is it… that you like?"

Even though I couldn't even see her, somehow I knew that she must've been blushing. She seemed like the type of girl to get all dreamy when thinking of love, her doll-like cheeks flushing a girlish shade of pink. "T… Tadase-kun."

Well. Even though I knew he was popular, I didn't exactly picture someone bright and loved by all like Weiss-san to fall for him. Just as Lilith was getting up, her arms gave way beneath her, and she was face-down on the grass again.

"But I can't tell him," she sighed, and it shuddered like her body was in that instant. I felt like I was suddenly looking in a mirror of the past, of the way I used to be when I was by myself and confused about everything. "I can't tell my parents that I don't _want to _get married when I'm sixteen. I can't even tell myself." She turned to face me again, tears streaming down her face, which was amazingly still that perfect cream colour compared to mine when I cried, which got all red and blotchy. "I'm such a coward. I care too much about what people will think of me. If only I could be brave, like you, and face every day with strong eyes and shoulders."

Her head tilted down as tears plopped into the grass. "But I can't. Because I'm not strong."

I thought nothing could surprise me anymore. After all, I had recently learned that everyone had an egg in their hearts that contained their hopes and dreams. But there I was, standing with my jaw completely slack as a smoky, black mist began to coil up from Weiss-san's small and shaking body, her chest rippling like someone had dropped something in water. _That _was not normal. And suddenly, an egg emerged from it. Only it wasn't light and dazzling like mine were. It was pitch black and sinister-looking, a single white X bold right in the middle of it. It began to make weird _moaning _noises, like it was in pain, and Weiss-san's body unabashedly fell to the ground, her blonde ringlets spilling across the green grass like a fallen princess. Her face was a pallid shade, her body sweating, and eyebrows drawn down in pain.

All I could do was stare with puckered lips, like some kind of frozen fish.

"Snow!" Lilith hissed at me, completely recovered from her earlier shock and floating up to smack a small hand on my face. I turned my fish-face to her and she gave me a withering stare while shaking her head. "That's an X-Egg! You heard the Guardians; if it hatches, it'll have a negative effect on the owner. We have to stop it somehow. Weiss already looks like she's in labour or something!"

Astonishingly enough, I almost laughed at how ironic that was. "Well, what am I supposed to do?" I demanded, taking a cautious step back as the egg floated menacingly in place, the dark mist coiling around it. "I've never even seen something like this before! Look at it, I think it's growling at me!" It certainly was making strange grumbling noises, like something really was trying to be… _birthed. _"What is it going to do? It's not like an egg can just float around attacking people! That's impossi-"

I was cut off by a very harsh and very heavy force hitting me smack in the left cheek, so strong that I was knocked off my feet. The egg floated above me like a predator giving its prey a fleeting glance before it devoured it. It took me a few moments to process that_ the egg had just fucking attacked me. _Okay, so it could do that, and would not be safe to let fly around everywhere.

Before I could even understand what I was doing, I was up on my feet again, and the egg was in my grasp, wriggling and trying to get free. Its surface was smooth and cold, like one right out of the refrigerator, and it squirmed even more when I began squeezing. It was much harder than a normal egg, that was for sure, but the anger broiling up in me from its attack was pumping me with adrenaline, so much I began to hear it cracking.

"Snow, STOP IT!" Lilith screamed, her eyes wide with terror and fright. "If you break someone's egg, it's like physically breaking someone's heart! They will pretty much become dead men walking!"

My body felt so hot, boiling with rage. But even so, Lilith's words slowly began to register in my head, and I flung the egg away before I ended up crushing it. It sailed through the air for a bit, but quickly regained its balance and began flying back in our direction.

"X-eggs are pure evil and negativity," Lilith explained as angry little puffs of breath huffed out of my body, my chest heaving like I had run a marathon. "They don't hesitate to destroy things, like you were about to do because you were so angry. That egg is filled with anger, and we need to stop it."

"How?" I hissed between clenched teeth, watching as the egg darted behind trees to escape my surveying eyes. Luckily there were no students left milling outside, so this place had become a battleground just for us. "I didn't even know they existed until _yesterday. _How on earth am I supposed to stop it?!"

"Um." She clearly had no idea either, judging from the way her eyes were darting around nervously and she was fidgeting like waiting to hear some big news. "Try… talking to it."

She dodged the fist I had suddenly swung at her just by a hair. "Listen! Maybe if you give that egg some encouragement, it could fix the problem in her heart?"

"That's an awful idea," I hissed, warily putting my fists in front of me like a boxer's defensive stance. "What would I even say to it? It's not like it'd listen anyway."

"Just try!" She screeched, getting frustrated. She began yanking on my hair angrily and she kept swinging around when I tried to swat her away. "Weiss-san is hiding her true feelings inside, and that's where the problem lies. She hates being unable to say what she wants. So encourage her! Tell the egg what it needs to hear!"

I could see its dark form swooping behind the curtain of leaves, like creepy eyes you always fear are watching you in the woods. It looked incredibly eerie against the setting sun, making the sky gleam like fresh blood. Weiss-san's body was now writhing on the ground in what I could only guess was pain, her sparkled mouth wrenching in silent screams. I didn't know what to do; heck, I barely even understood what was happening. But if there was one thing I did know, it was that I couldn't let Weiss-san keep suffering like this when she came to talk to me, when she shared her private troubles with me.

So I swallowed a huge gulp of air and my pride, and screamed at the swooping X-egg: "HEY!" It's oval-like form seemed to pause behind the trees, like it knew I was yelling at it. My thoughts sped through my head, trying to be processed quickly enough so I could say them.

Weiss-san and I… were the same.

There was so many things I wanted to say to so many people. I wanted to tell the kids that made fun of me at the orphanage that inside of my small, scarred body, my heart was completely shattered and the only one who could put the pieces back together was me. I wanted to tell my mother how much she hurt me, how she didn't even have the right to. I wanted to tell the Guardians why I was hesitating to join them, why I was pushing them away. I wanted to tell Ikuto Tsukiyomi that we were probably more alike than he thought. But I couldn't. Because I was afraid.

However. I knew what I had to tell that X-egg- no, what I had to tell Weiss-san. I needed to tell her the words I had always been longing to hear. That there was nothing to be scared of. Because you're the only one who decides whether or not you can be hurt.

"I know," I began, watching with a calculating, sympathetic gaze as the X-egg slowly poked its pointed top out from the tree's leaves. The wind began to howl, making Weiss-san's body collapse into shivers, and I knew I had to make this quick and I couldn't hesitate. My heartbeat was surprisingly calm and sure as my voice let out.

"I know when you're about to tell someone something that you've always wanted to, you feel sick to your stomach, and you feel like it's a bad idea. You leave it be, and you let your negative feelings pile up because you don't want people to judge you for letting them out. It's perfectly normal to be scared of that; it's what humans are. But do you really want to live with the regret? The regret of never having told your parents that you don't want to get married, of never telling that guy that you like him more than anyone? Because if you don't tell them, they will never, ever know. You will just let yourself suffer forever because you're scared.

"But it's not worth it," I continued, my voice raising in octaves as my conviction grew. "It's not worth the pain. It's not worth putting aside all of your feelings and wasting your hard work. Caring about what other people think, fiercely believing that you have no strength, _none of that is worth it! _Who cares what other people think? If you believe that no one else will believe in you or respect your decisions…" Oh god, I was running out of things to say. I was already stumbling over my words, trying to sort all of my thoughts out and somehow channel what I felt into that X-egg that could very well destroy Weiss-san. Then something clicked in my head with an almost audible snap, and I began moving towards the X-egg almost unconsciously to try and stop it from hurting anyone else. Lilith was whooping behind me like a personal cheerleader, and I pushed down the urge to just step on her. _Goddammit Lilith. _

"If no one else will believe in you, believe in yourself," I finished, lightly picking up Weiss-san's squirming body and hugging it. She was so warm, and her heartbeat was pounding against my arm painfully. "Because you're always going to be there to face the next day, even if you don't have courage. And you can believe in me. Because I'll listen, and I want to be there for you. I want to be your friend."

Weiss-san was noticeably beginning to squirm a lot less. Could my words have actually gotten through to her, despite the pain her negative feelings overwhelming her brought her? I didn't know. But the X-egg hadn't disappeared; it just kind of stopped moving to float blankly in the sky, almost as if it were staring at me.

I didn't know what to do.

But as soon as I thought that, as soon as I thought I was alone with this and that I'd have to do something drastic, I heard that light, strong, and familiar voice call out, "Hisayuki-san!"

There was only one person who could sound like that, and only one person who called me that.

I swiveled my head around to see the Guardians standing in a line, looking at me with bright, snapping encouragement and belief. Even though this was about Weiss-san, I could feel my chest clench with an unfamiliar feeling of fulfillment, like the lonely gap in my chest had been completely filled with their presence.

"Catch, Hisayuki!" Kukai-kun called out to me with his mischievous grin, and something arced through the air and caught the fading sunlight, casting prisms on the barren and empty school grounds. I caught it automatically, the heavy weight of the Humpty Lock giving me a strange sense of comfort. It shone, its "magic" powers seeming to swirl powerfully inside from the way colours seemed to be shooting out from it everywhere, lighting rainbows of hope on the disappearing day.

My mouth tightened into a thin line, and I gently set Weiss-san down, who began to shiver automatically. "Lilith!" I called, holding my hand out.

Back where I had been originally standing, Lilith's golden eyes brightened like a stoked fire, and a huge grin spread across her face. "Aw, hell yeah!" She exclaimed, flying at me like a menacing flying squirrel. She held her small hand out, and when it touched my palm, a warmth like being enveloped in a large blanket engulfed me.

There was that feeling of being underwater again, the strange slipping and sliding against my bare skin as new clothing formed (and why this happened was a complete mystery to me- kind of like putting on armour for battle, I guessed). My blood was rushing, the adrenaline pumping through my bloodstream again as I felt the wind blowing against cold-proof body, released from that strange place once more and facing the X-egg squarely.

"Character Transformation," I spouted, my mouth working on its own again. "Femme Fatale!"

Not that I knew what to do with myself now, anyway.

"What do I do?" I called back to the Guardians, my bare legs shaking in embarrassment and confusion. I would never be able to get used to the complete outfit change into something so revealing. And I wouldn't be able to understand it, either… though it was admittedly easier to move in.

"Purify the egg!" Nadeshiko-san called to me, Character Changed like the rest of the Guardians. My eyes widened in understanding. They came here to back me up. They came here to tell me that I wasn't alone, that they supported me when I wanted to help someone deal with their X-egg.

"And how do I do that?"

"Like we have any clue!" Yaya-san giggled, waving a baby rattle around like a maniac. "None of us can do it! Just hold it or something, and channel your feelings of wanting to save it into it, know what I mean?"

I really didn't. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at the little menace, but it barely dodged as Kukai-kun suddenly came up behind it in an attempt to catch it with his outstretched hands. As a result of fleeing, it began coming straight for me.

_Snow! _It was Lilith's little telepathic voice screaming at me again, making me move to cover my ears and realizing it wouldn't do any good. _Use the whip!_

"What will that do?" I demanded aloud, getting frustrated by standing there doing nothing like an idiot. I Character Transformed in the first place because I knew how much stronger it made me, but I didn't know where to go from here.

_Just take it, and lash it so it's wrapped around the egg, _she explained urgently. _Channel your pure feelings of wanting to help Weiss into it! Since you have me with you, those feelings will manifest into something you could label as purification. It's like using holy water to exorcise a demon, you know? _It was probably nothing like that. _It so is. _Goddammit Lilith.

Nonetheless, I slid a hand beneath the handle of the whip vised around my leg, and snapped it in a high ark, more as a threat than an attack. I felt like my arms were moving automatically again, like this was something I'd done so often before that it comes naturally now. I happened to catch a drifting fall leaf that ended up getting snapped in two.

The X-egg was floating everywhere erratically, looking for an escape despite the four Guardians slowly enclosing it in a small space. It darted upwards towards the sky, and my eyes snapped up to it with the whip in my hand almost lashing out at it as if it was alive. It caught the egg easily, tightening its grip like a snake strangling a mouse. The scaly surface of my weapon really did move like that was the case.

Okay. Now I just had to channel my… feelings. I could do that. I closed my eyes to the point of squeezing and thought of wanting to save Weiss-san. Of wanting things to go alright for her and becoming her strength. Of wanting to become her friend. My entire body felt warmed like stepping into a warm bath on a cold day, though the analogy was lost on me. Somehow, I felt that warmth draining out of me and opened my eyes to see it become a physical thing, a single dart of light shooting up the whip until it reached the egg, encasing it in an ethereal light. It ceased its struggling almost immediately, like it was actually affected by the light shooting into it. Those were my feelings personified.

I was completely mystified. Things like this were really happening. This wasn't a dream. There was such a thing as magic and hope. With those words in mind, I smiled softly at the black egg shell that was slowly fading to gray, and then to a pure white, and said, "I want to save you."

It was like a miniature sun was beaming in the sky for a moment, and when said light faded away, what was left in its place was a white egg with a golden heart in the middle. So that's what a regular egg looked like, versus a character one. It floated gracefully down to Weiss-san as my whip retracted to coil around my leg again, and I didn't mind how strange it felt sliding against my skin. I was too focused on the egg sort of melting back into Weiss-san's chest, making her pained expression soften into one of peace and… bliss. She actually smiled a bit. Maybe it was possible that my feelings transferred from the egg and straight into her, and they were actually giving her some comfort.

"I'll handle cleanup," Kukai-kun said suddenly, breaking the somewhat melancholy silence in the blazing sunset. He hitched Weiss-san's small, skinny arm over his broad shoulder, and turned around to grin widely at me, that warm twinkle shining in his eyes. "Great job, Hisayuki. I couldn't have done it better myself."

I flushed, the emotion shooting through me resembling something like pleasure. I felt my school uniform slide into place as Lilith popped out of my chest like fired from a cannon, and she had this huge smile on her face.

"Aw yeah, we did it!" She screeched, holding out her tiny hand for a mini high-five. I smiled in amusement to myself, thinking that she was completely hopeless as her hand, small and warm, hit my palm, sending a bolt of warmth and comfort straight to my core. Even if I didn't want to believe it, Lilith really was a piece of me. It had only been a day, and even though she was so irritating I wanted to take a fly swatter to her face, I couldn't remember how it felt to be alone anymore. The very fact that she existed meant that there was still hope for me to change and become strong enough to face what was surely ahead of me.

}{

"Have you changed your mind about joining the Guardians?"

I heaved a giant sigh torn straight from my throat and sank further into the white gazebo chair. We had literally just sat down in the Royal Garden, the Guardians dragging me back there as soon as Kukai-kun returned from the infirmary and telling Weiss-san that she had simply collapsed due to stress. I guessed she didn't remember a single thing about a magical egg suddenly emerging from her chest and me yelling at it like a crazy mofo… but what else did I expect. All of this did seem like a fairy tale, after all.

But how to tell the Guardians everything that was on my mind. I wanted to explain why I rejected their offer in the first place to start with a clean state and why I wanted to join them now, but it was hard and embarrassing to force my true feelings out of me. I understood how Weiss-san felt completely. Not to mention that they were all staring at me expectantly, pairs of maroon, gold, orange, and green eyes shining at me honestly.

Just as I was trying to put the right words together in my head, a strange sound cut me off. It was coming from my school bag, and kind of sounded like… cracking.

Uh-oh.

Surely enough, the purple and black lacy egg floated out from the flap of my bad, locking my face into a poker expression. Lilith sat up from her place on the table, chatting with the Guardian's Shugo Chara, and she looked incredibly excited. The egg made those odd cracking noises again, like pop rocks exploding in my mouth, and black fissures were bursting along the sides.

And then the top part popped off, so quickly and forcefully I had to duck for cover. The Guardians' expressions were a mix of surprise and joy as they regarded my new Shugo Chara. It was another girl, one with incredibly porcelain skin like a doll, and a haughty and- quite frankly- bitchy expression. Her hair was long and pitch black, like solidified shadows were spilling over her shoulders in long waves. Her eyes were violet, just like mine, but without the strange icy blue ring surrounding the pupil and matching flecks. With the dress she was wearing, black and white, long, and covered in ruffles and frills, she really did come off as some kind of old Victorian doll. It didn't really help that she was holding an incredibly tiny near-destroyed stuffed black rabbit in her arms like a shield.

"You're annoying me," she spat, right in my poker face. "Just be honest with yourself! Chara Change!"

_What the- _I got the strangest sensation, like something cool was sliding just beneath my skin and making my mouth and body move on their own. Without my consent, my body stood from my chair so fast that it scraped against the polished floor and fell back, and both of my hands were places sternly on my hips. I felt a strange, hat-like presence on my head, identical to the one my new small, nodding character was wearing.

"Losers like you should just listen up!" I screeched, the real me deep inside watching in horror as the whole scene played out before me like a bad dramedy. "I am not a very honest person, as you can probably tell. And even if I don't say much out loud, my thoughts are a completely different story, got that? I didn't want to join you guys because I've been through some stuff and done some things in my past that made me feel unworthy of being amongst light, popular, and strong people like you. But now I don't feel that way. I will join the Guardians and help you guys out, but I won't do it so you can achieve your lame goals, whatever they are. I'm doing it for myself, and don't you forget it."

As quickly as it had come, that strange new skin I was feeling slipped away, leaving me standing in the gazebo looking like some kind of tyrant. My face flushed an ugly, fire truck red as I watched the Guardians just stare at me with open mouths. Then, all at once, they burst into laughter. I strongly felt the need to slaughter my new Shugo Chara, whoever she was.

"Noted," Kukai-kun snickered, wiping tears from his eyes from laughing too hard. "Man, I was right when I thought you were interesting, Hisayuki."

"You're Character Change is just like Tadase's!" Yaya-san snorted, her Shugo Chara busting a gut along with her. "You're so compatible!"

Before I could snap at how stupid and ridiculous that comment was, Tadase-kun stopped chuckling and smiled at me with the most gentle and light expression. It made my breath catch and heart stutter, and the effect was so sudden I forced myself to look away.

"Hisayuki-san," he began, so I swallowed my pride and looked at him again. His eyes seemed to widen just a bit, like he was actually seeing me for the first time, then he coughed to cover up his hesitation. "We never thought of you like that. Everyone is an individual, and has their own past and reason for doing what they do. That's what I always thought about you, which is why I was prepared to wait for you to join us until you were ready. I really do think you're a good, kind, and helpful person who will be a great help to us."

Shocked into silence form his words, and having never received such compliments before, all I could respond to him with was one of my rare and true smiles, which seemed to surprise everyone more than the sudden Character Change (which I was still resenting and stewing over, but not as badly now).

"And on that note…" Nadeshiko-san began, her tone implying that they were all about to say something that I had almost completely missed in my embarrassment from listening to myself. They all grinned their unique, specific smiles in turn, then simultaneously said, "We welcome you to the Guardians, Snow Hisayuki!"  
Goddammit.

"My name is Vivian, by the way," said my new, irritatingly snooty character, who hmphed at me like she was queen of the damned world. "And you're welcome. You'd better take good care of me, Snow Monster."

…Why did I suddenly feel like the future laid out before me was going to be an extremely difficult one?

_**Crimrose: Can you guys guess what my favourite passtime is after this chapter?**_

_**Snow: ...Ruining my life?**_

_**Crimrose: Bingo! People like you are so fun to tease.**_

_**Ikuto: I second that.**_

_**Snow: You can leave any time now, lech.**_

_**Lee: Oh... it seems I made no appearance in this chapter.**_

_**Crimrose: Pssh. That's because you're my man-toy-thing.**_

_**Lee: EXCUSE ME?**_

_**Crimrose: Stay tuned and **__**review**__** if you're all for this fanfic with a lot of OC, and I really hope you guys like it!**_

_**Lee: ARE YOU DELIBERATELY IGNORING ME?**_

_**Ikuto: And definitely stay tuned if you want to see sexy times between me and Snow.**_

_**Snow: *Whips head around with the most evil glare on her face* I HAVE THE REALLY SUDDEN URGE TO KILL YOU.**_

_**Ikuto: By your hand, I'd be glad to die any time.**_

_**Crimrose: ... So you're an M for sure, huh. I'm cool with that. **_


	7. Chapter VI- Bonding

**_Well. This chapter was late, but it's long. Sorry if the lengthy chapters are a bit overwhelming; I always get told to tone them down, but there's so much I want to establish ლ(ಠ_****_益_****_ಠ_****_ლ It frustrates me, as well, don't even think it doesn't._**

**_And as a response to that Guest Reviewer..._**

**_Crimrose: *awkwardly munches pretzel* Riiiiiight. I don't mean to be sarcastic or offend anyone in anyway by saying this, but honestly, Guardian Characters was one of those things that you think is completely amazing when you start it (which was grade six for me, versus my current tenth grader self), then look back on it and wonder what the actual f*** you were thinking. To be blunt, I just didn't like the direction it was going in, and lezzbe honest: Aileen was downright depressing sometimes. Not to say that Snow is not; I'm fully aware she can be. But trust me, she gets better, whereas Aileen would've just become more derogatory towards all heroines. Honestly, people would've started using an 'Aileen' instead of a Mary Sue. I apologize if this was not the answer you were hoping for! I really am sorry, and if some people really liked it, I can post it again; I just won't be updating, and it was kind of left on a cliffhanger. _**

**_And that is my rant. Thank y'all, and please enjoy the chapter!_**

**_Chapter VI_**

**_Bonding_**

Normally, one would think that the weekend is a huge break and relief from working and school and whatnot. After obtaining Shugo Chara, I found this actually laughable, because the last thing I had with them around me constantly was a break.

Since it was finally the weekend, and I had weekends off from working, I thought it'd be a good idea to use some extra money I ended up saving up from my trip here to go shopping for some personal furniture, like throw pillows, blankets, towels and the like. I ended up walking to a plaza a fair distance away from my apartment that contained multiple fast food joints, an EB Games, and a Winners. And I'll be damned if I didn't get lost on the way. My new character, Vivian, actually had to fly up in the sky, survey the area, then point me in the right directions.

When I got there, I was expecting to shop quietly, trying to decide what kind of colours I wanted in my apartment. That is not what happened at all. Lilith and Vivian- quite literally- flew through the doors and out of my sight. Thinking that it would be too much of a pain to look for them, I decided to shop by myself until they got bored and came back, which wouldn't take very long considering that the pair of them were hard to keep entertained. And they did come back… just swinging at each other and tossing pillows across the store, freaking innocent people out by hiding under the covers of sample beds then moving unexpectedly, and taking things out of shopping carts and making off with them. I was about ready to curl into a small ball and cry. It was like having two small, evil toddlers going everywhere with me, and they were out to ruin my life.

I thought my new character could be someone like who I really wanted to be, calm, cool, collected. And while Vivian was cool, she was haughtily so, and she considered herself to be like some sort of Victorian princess, and I was her servant instead of her master. Between her and Lilith, I was about ready to throw myself off my balcony when I got home. My tolerance level for bullshit had always been low, simply because that was the type of person I was, so the current situation was just plain ridiculous.

Since I just wanted to shop in peace, what ended up happening was me tying them together with a hair elastic and shoving them in my purse with the other egg, only allowing their heads to poke out. Vivian looked pissed, her black eyebrows drawn down so much that her eyelids seemed to disappear, and the eyes you could see were burning. Lilith was yelling words that should be censored from the ears of young children at me, saying that I should make everything red. I didn't disagree, since it was one of my favourite colours, but it got to the point where I just wanted to spite her.

_Why are they like this? _I thought idly to myself while examining a white, iron basket filled with throw pillows. I saw some that were a nice aqua colour with ornate swirling designs in a milk chocolate brown, and decided those were the main colours I'd use. They both ended up grumbling at me that they were plain, and I just rolled my eyes.

"How's the other egg doing?" I whispered to them while pawing through some extra blankets.

I think Lilith tried to shrug, but considering that her arms were restrained, she failed miserably. "Not even a crack," she said, not having to whisper since no one else could hear her. "Maybe it'll hatch soon, though. Who can say for sure?"

I sure hoped that this new Shugo Chara wouldn't be anything like the other two, otherwise I really would have to consider flinging myself off the balcony.

Interrupting my thoughts of pesticides to get rid of them was Vivian suddenly calling, "Yo, Yeti."

I turned an incredulous glare down to her head poking out of my purse. "You did not."

She ignored me completely, which made Lilith shake with silent laughter. "You're being watched."

Almost as soon as she said that, I felt a chill run down my spine, like someone had pulled back my shirt and tossed ice cream at my back. I desperately tried not to look anywhere but the bin in front of me, and made my voice go even lower. "Do you have any idea who it could be? Do they have Shugo Chara? Is that why they're watching me? What if they want the Embryo? Or what if they want you guys, like Ikuto?" I sucked in a small gasp. "What if it _is _Ikuto? What am I gonna do? I don't have any personal issues with him, besides the fact that he's kind of a perv, but he's officially my enemy now since he works for Easter and I'm a Guardian. Why are they enemies, anyway? Did Tadase-kun neglect to tell me, or did he and I forgot-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Lilith screamed suddenly, making me flinch. "You think way too much. And we don't know. We haven't really been around too many Shugo Chara since we were _just born, _so we don't know how they feel, aura-wise."

"Right," I grumbled. I found a pale blue blanket that went with my colour scheme, so I clutched my hand around it while thinking of what to do, my heart pounding in my ears. I could leave, but then if they were really serious about watching me, they'd follow. The best way to deal with a problem would be to face it head-on, something I had been neglecting to do for a long time. I needed to change, even if it started out with something small like this. So I steeled my shoulders and whirled around, seeing a flash of something the colour of platinum flit behind a shelf housing bedside lamps. Hair. A quick survey of the surrounding area proved that other shoppers were fairly scattered around, so I took a deep breath and called, "Who's there?"

The shelf rattled and the products on it shook, like the person in hiding had jolted in surprise from me noticing they were there. I could hear their quick, almost panicked breathing even from a distance, and the gears were clearly turning in their head. I dug my heels into the tiled floor, determined on standing my ground for once. I needed to be strong. Then I heard something like a sigh, and suddenly ironic laughter was ringing in my ears.

My eyebrows drew down in confusion and, well, horror. I watched warily as the watcher stepped out from behind the shelf, clearly thinking that hiding any longer was useless. I really had no suspicions on how they'd look, but when I actually saw them, I was taken by a lot of surprise.

It was like a doll come to life was standing in front of me. It was a girl, definitely a teenager, with light skin, big violet eyes, and long platinum blonde hair tied into high twin tails. She was shorter than me by a few inches, though I was still slightly intimidated by the glare that was on her face and directed at me. She was dressed very stylishly, with designer jeans, tall black high heels, a turquoise off-shoulder sweater and brown sequined scarf.

Why on God's green earth would a girl like her be stalking me in Winners?

"Looks like you caught me," she said, her voice high-pitched and smooth. A smirk twisted her otherwise gentle features as she regarded me, though there was a menacing gleam in her eye. I definitely felt like I didn't look my best in the presence of someone like her, just wearing black leggings, a long-sleeved purple plaid romper, and purple flats. Not to mention that my hair was in two long braids that fell to my hips. I probably looked like some sort of hick.

I was only able to mutter incoherent phrases, too shocked with the situation to say anything intelligent. She sniffed somewhat haughtily and said, "I know you're shocked, meeting someone like me." _You were tailing me through a home décor store. _"But I have to ask that you keep it down. I don't want too many people bothering me while I'm out on business."

My Shugo Chara were staring at her like she was a three-dimensional puzzle they couldn't put together. I, on the other hand, could only blink at her and then squint. What was she talking about? Did she have some sort of misconception that people would care if she was in a department store? I didn't get it.

"Sorry," I began, stealthily sliding my purse behind my back slightly in case she had business with my Shugo Chara. "But… do I know you?"

Her jaw went slack and eyes wide. "Wh- what do you mean by that?" She demanded, crossing her arms. "There shouldn't be anyone who hasn't heard of Utau Hoshina."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Well, I haven't. Care to share why you were stalking me?"

Something I said must've really set her off, because her face was gradually becoming red with rage and humiliation. "I am _not _stalking you," she spat incredulously. "And quit playing dumb. You must've heard my name somewhere." When I just looked at her almost pityingly, she huffed a breath out of her nose like a bull getting ready to charge. "Then you're _highly _uneducated. I'm just here to scope out the enemy."

The way she said 'enemy' made my defenses fly up. The chances that she wanted me for the Shugo Chara were increasing by the second, as was the heat of her glare. Before I could even say anything, she marched right up to me to stare into my eyes, and it felt like she was sizing me up. I kept my expression carefully neutral as her gaze skimmed me from head to toe, lingering with distaste on my white hair, purple and blue eyes, and height.

"What in the world does he see in someone like you?" She hissed, looking genuinely mad now. I had no idea who she was talking about, and nor did I care. Whoever she was, she was clearly up to no good and I didn't feel like standing around and getting insulted any more today.

I tossed the blanket in my hand in the shopping cart beside me and smiled emotionlessly at her. "Are you done? Because I have more pressing matters to deal with than some chick mouthing off to me like she's queen of the damn world." And with that, I whirled on my heel, grabbed the handle of the cart, and began pushing to the section where they displayed wall décor.

I didn't really enjoy being a bitch like that; it was just that I had no idea of what else to do, and she might've been after Lilith and Vivian. I clutched the handle of the shopping cart and ground my teeth together. I couldn't really trust anyone anymore. Not that I really did to begin with, but now I couldn't begin to even give anyone a chance.

Shopping had taken a short amount of time, surprisingly. I tried to get my mind off of that confrontation, and it didn't feel like that Hoshina girl was watching me anymore. I was able to pay for my items in peace, and once I carried my heavy bags from the store, I let Lilith and Vivian out of my elastic bind. They were clearly unhappy with me, and I didn't want them chirping in my ear the whole way home, so I said we'd stop at a café or something and they could have bites of any sweets I got. This seemed to appease them for a time, and we ended up making a short travel to a nearby Starbucks. Giving them coffee or anything sweet was probably a horrible idea, so I just got a couple pretzels and refused to give them a sip of my vanilla Frappuccino.

While they munched and bickered over who was taking bigger pieces, I chose to ignore them and sat at a lone table near the window. I crossed one leg over the other as I sat down and started sipping at my drink distractedly. It had been a week since I moved here, and I still haven't gotten anywhere near communicating with my mother. I needed to fix that. After all, that was part of the big reason I came here. I wanted to make amends with her, even if she did hate me for… whatever it was I did. It wasn't right of her to abandon me and not tell me anything, leaving me in the dark for thirteen years.

Besides, even though what she did left me with permanent scars… I already forgave her long ago. There had to be a reason why she did that. And I couldn't spend my entire life not finding out what it was. So here I was, in a big city with no one else, and struggling to adjust and find the right time to call her.

I dug my cell phone out of my purse and unlocked it. Before I had even left home, I looked up the number of the place she was staying and saved it into a note. With a deep breath, I flipped to it and stared at the title of said note, biting my lower lip.

_Vesania Asylum. _

Just the thought of where she was shot chills down my spine. Apparently nearly killing your only daughter and flipping out on the whole neighbourhood and people who tried to help you was reason enough to be thrown in a nuthouse. People there were not all crazy like she had come, insanity eating away at her mind for god knows how long. I didn't understand why she would do that, and why she hadn't even protested or contacted me since she was shipped here. But one thing that I did know was just staring at the number on my phone made icy dread pool in my stomach like condensation dripping off icicles. I couldn't do it. Not right now, when I was still adjusting. I had to get used to the idea that I may hear her voice soon, so familiar yet unfamiliar that it was a song you heard once but forgot the name of and couldn't find it again.

I shoved the phone back in my purse, grabbing Lilith and Vivian's attention, then laid my arms on the table. I buried my face in them, feeling their stares tingle at the top of my head, while I carefully counted my breaths to calm down the panicked and almost frightened beat of my heart.

It was almost a blissful calm, my Shugo Chara understanding that I needed a moment to myself, when I heard a deep voice behind me ask, "Are you having an episode?"

I nearly collapsed sideways out of my chair. With a start, I whipped my head up and glared at Ikuto's face, his cheeks turned red from the cool air outside I couldn't feel. He looked honestly concerned, but there was amusement buried deep beneath that expressionless façade.

"I am _not _having an episode," I snapped, blushing in his very presence, for God knows what reason. I anxiously looked for something else to focus on and came up empty. "And don't even joke about that. They aren't fun."

Now he just seemed surprised. "You mean you've had one before?"

"I don't see how it's any of your business," I snapped, grabbing my Frappuccino and slurping obnoxiously loudly.

He pulled a chair from the table behind me and plopped it right in front of me, making a high-pitched scraping sound tear across the floor. He slid in the seat with the grace of a cat and smirked deviously. "If it's about you, I'd like to make it my business."

That made another blush crop up. Sheesh, why couldn't he leave me alone? We barely knew each other, and yet he felt compelled for some strange reason to shamelessly flirt with me… which I obviously didn't mind as much as I let on since I wasn't making any move to run away. I mean, come on. He was hot, godly so, and it did seem like he had more depth to him than he let on. Classic story of teen angst. Plus he played the violin. I didn't know why I found that so compelling, but I'll be damned if that didn't make me kind of bubble up on the inside. I was ashamed of myself.

"Can you please leave me alone? I'm kind of busy here," I muttered, setting my drink down in frustration and gesturing to my Shugo Chara, who had both edged closer to me as soon as he strolled on in. His was noticeably absent, but I didn't mention anything. Since he was an "enemy" now, it would probably be better not to let on that I was interested and curious to what he did. I had always liked mysteries. Now a mysterious person appeared in front of me- who claimed to be a cat- so I was all over this.

He completely ignored me, though, and scooped my drink into a hand. Before I could say anything, his lips went over the straw just where mine had, and I couldn't believe how red my face must've looked. I usually didn't mind sharing my drinks or anything like that, but with him it was just… He made a face at it and shivered slightly, setting down in front of me again. "How can you drink something like that when it's so cold?" He asked, glaring at his surroundings. I guessed he was the kind of guy who hated anything cold, and preferred to snuggle up with the girls he charmed…

I made a face right back. "I don't know. I'm immune to cold, but sensitive to heat."

He looked amused. "Just like a snow woman."

"Okay, what are you trying to accomplish with your horrible jokes?"

"That was an observation, smarty pants," he said with an eye roll, and to be quite frank, I really didn't want to listen to him anymore. I was thinking about something kind of important.

"Did you need something?" I demanded, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms. "I was on a bit of an excursion when you bumped your way in here."

He had the grace to shrug. "I saw you through the window and you looked like you were about to faint or something. I was curious if I had to drag you out of here or not."

"Why would you care?" I snapped, getting defensive from the way he was paying attention to me. I wasn't used to it, and I didn't want to be if he was just going to get in the Guardian's way from… whatever they were trying to achieve. "We're enemies now. What does it concern you if I jump off a bridge? Just one less thing to worry about, right?"

He actually looked horrified. "What kind of person do you take me for? I'm not a heartless murderer, Snow. Well, to be fair, I'm not a murderer. Not so sure about the latter."

"Then you can join the club," I grumbled, tearing my eyes away from his deep, inquisitive gaze and staring out the window. I was going to wait everything out, with the Guardians, with my mother. What I was doing with my life right now strangely left something to be desired. It really did feel like there was just empty space where my heart should've been, a hollow in my chest that couldn't be filled. I was well tuned enough with myself to know that I was secretly looking for something to fill the void, hence my sudden decision to make amends with my mother and help strange teenagers search for a magical egg to grant their wish.

"You're making a grumpy face," Ikuto 'observed' again, cocking his head to the side.

I rolled my eyes. "Like you're one to talk. It's like you're permanently grumpy. I'm like a preppy cheerleader compared to you."

"I can't really argue with that," he admitted with a low chuckle that seemed to reverberate throughout my entire body. _Christ Almighty I don't know what that is. _"Though I seem to be getting a lot more expressive lately according to… someone."

He was trying to pique my curiosity, and he knew it had worked when my eyes snapped to meet his again, and there was a smile in them that wasn't present on his face. That 'someone' he mentioned must be very familiar with him to notice when his countenance changed. I wished I could be that way with… someone.

"I have to go," I said suddenly, grabbing the handles of my plastic Winners bags and tugging them off the ground. My Shugo Chara nonchalantly floated over to rest on my shoulder, their weight next to nothing, though they still looked alert around him. "I have to bring this stuff home."

"You live alone, right?" He asked, a very odd question in light of our recent conversation.

I raised an eyebrow challengingly. "What's it to you?"

He shrugged, his expression seeming to snap to the 'Off' switch again as his face slowly fell into one of boredom and disinterest. "Just curious. You bought an awful lot of things just to be living and shopping for someone else. Plus you were new in town and alone when we first met. If you were living with someone, they should have the courtesy to pick you up since you seem to be severely lacking in both the common sense and direction department."

I opened my mouth to argue, realized that I couldn't because he was right, then shut it again with a snap of my teeth. "You really pay a lot of attention," I muttered, scooping my drink off the table. I almost took another sip when I remembered that it would be an indirect kiss. The concept was immature, sure, but it made me think of actually get close enough to him that our lips were actually touching...

Upon realizing what I had been thinking about, I dropped a bag and slapped myself in the face. The look on his face became startled and somewhat appalled as I picked the bag up again, my left cheek stinging were I had slapped it.

"I hope that's not normal for you," he said quietly, his eyebrows slashing down in legitimate- and somewhat insulting- concern.

"Of course it's not," I hissed, blushing furiously and turning away. "Don't follow me, please. I need to be alone right now."

As I walked out of the small café, with my sensitive hearing, I could hear him mumble while staring at my discarded drink, "Don't we all."

}{

"She has to find out sooner or later."

Everything was so fuzzy and out of focus. The sounds were leaking into my ears almost like trying to listen to a conversation through static, almost completely unintelligible. I couldn't see anything, and it took me a while to realize that was because my eyes were closed. I had been sleeping, and as I slowly awakened more and more, the numbness of unconsciousness fading from my body, I could feel things around me- my duvet, the pillow under my head, another pillow in my arms which I was squeezing like a child's teddy bear, my hair tickling the side of my face as it cascaded down the side of my bed that wasn't against the wall. Was I dreaming? Or had something woken me up?

Almost as if to answer my question, the noises I had been hearing earlier- voices, apparently- continued their conversation. Considering how small and high-pitched they were, I knew it was Lilith and Vivian speaking, trying to converse in hushed tones but failing miserably. "And she will," Vivian's voice said, apparently continuing from where the first voice (Lilith) had left off. "But we can't be the ones to tell her."

Knowing what she was like, I imagined Lilith making an exaggerated gesture. "But she's coming closer and closer every day! I mean, we were only born recently. Do you know what that means? Deep down inside, _it's _gradually awakening, and it could come out any day now."

"I know," Vivian sighed, as my brows furrowed in confusion. What were they talking about? I picked apart the pieces of their conversation I heard so far to try and define what it was about. The 'it could come out any day now' sounded like something being born; maybe they were referring to my other egg? It was hard to think straight when I had been rudely awoken and my brain was still dumb from sleep.

"Even if we did tell her," my newest character continued in a growl. "Do you really think she'd believe us? She's been a hard-core believer in all things science for most of her life. She even had trouble believing in us until we appeared right in front of her."

I still couldn't understand. All I really wanted was for them to stop talking so I could drift off to the comfort of sleep again.

But those thoughts were chased away when Lilith sounded seriously furious. I had never heard such heat and rage in her voice before, and I knew that her anger would always be a rare thing. "So you want us to wait until it actually happens and completely takes her over? _We can't do that, Vivian._ Think about how much pain and suffering she'd be in. The girl we know could never come back to us again. She just started a new life here, and it could be gone before she can even blink if we let _that thing _keep gaining power inside of her!"

"Lower your voice," Vivian hissed. "You'll wake her." _You already have, pricks._

"Good! Let her know what we're talking about. Let her know what danger she's in."

"She'll know eventually. There's still plenty of time until that day comes. Besides, I think there'd have to be a catalyst for its awakening. And just remember that we're not the only ones who know about it. He's right beside her, even if she doesn't realize it. He's watching over her as we speak." Vivian finished what she was saying with a deep, heavy breath, and there was a slight thump in what seemed like the distance as she most likely took a seat.

Lilith must have been shaking her head, because her voice travelled left then right, left then right. "I don't like it. Who says we can trust him?"

"Lilith, be reasonable." It was surprising me that Vivian was being very calm and collected in this situation, considering how _rebellious _she acted today. But the conversation between them was gradually making less and less sense as my eyes became heavier and heavier, my body unconsciously snuggling further into my blankets and sheets that smelled of sweet, fresh fabric softener.

"I know we can trust him." Vivian's voice was getting further and further away, as if I was listening to its echo from one end of a dark tunnel while she was at the other. "He's always been protecting her. He loves her, Lilith, even if you don't see it. They are family, after all."

"Not that she knows that," the former grumbled, and there was another soft thump as she laid down. "Fine. I won't say anything for now. But just keep in mind that when the other egg hatches, we'll be even closer to the day when she loses control completely. And all that will be left- in all of our futures- is ruin."

"I know that," Vivian murmured softly, her voice so calm and soothing, it was a lullaby. I let myself gratefully slip back into unconsciousness, so comfortable and warm and secure it was like nothing was wrong with the world.

Then I had a nightmare of standing over the Guardians, my Shugo Chara, and my adopted family, their bodies piled under me, and my hands dripping in their blood.

"Ack!" I awoke with a start so abrupt that I flailed about, looking to hurt the source of danger that didn't exist. My hair was left in straggles on my face, and I desperately swiped it away like it was some sort of white beast clawing at me to take me away. Vivian and Lilith were both wide awake now when they hadn't been earlier, their eyes wide and hair mussed, like they too had tossed and turned all night.

"What's the matter?" Vivian demanded, her little voice hoarse, eyes disconnected.

It took me a moment to respond. I had to calm my pounding heart, which was burning its way up my throat, and try to even out my breathing. "Nothing," I managed to finally choke out, sweat beading on my forehead. "Just- just a nightmare. It was nothing." But that was a lie. Why on earth would I dream up something morbid like that? There must've really been something wrong with me. I shook my head viciously to chase the dream away, and forced a smile on my face as everything gradually came into focus now that I was fully awake. "Morning," I greeted them.

They exchanged a look I couldn't quite define. Then the pair of them muttered "Morning" back in synch. I stared at them for a moment, feeling like there was something I should remember about them, then shrugged to myself and tore the curtains to my window open.

It looked so nice outside, with the sun only peeking out behind clouds, meaning it wouldn't be too hot. I could see the wind rustling trees in the distance, casting scarlet leaves in a tumbling dance to the ground. People milled about here and there, and I suddenly realized that I was already becoming accustomed to the view from my balcony. This really was a lovely city, even if some of its residents were kinda sketchy, and a bunch of powerful Shugo Chara holders gathered here.

And there was something else that disturbed me- something that took away from my gorgeous view of the city, hulking around in the distance like a menacing shadow. A rectangular, dark, and ominous tall building stood in the distance, boasting a sign that simply read the word 'Easter' in bold, sleek, silver lettering. I narrowed my eyes at it. It couldn't possibly be the same Easter the Guardians were fighting… could it? I mean, it seemed like an awfully important thing to get a building like that, and no way would a group of highschoolers go against a big corporation.

Satisfied with my own resolution, I began busying myself with getting ready, Lilith and Vivian dragging themselves behind me the whole time. The Guardians staged a meeting at one of their houses every Sunday before school, so they could prepare documents and announcements and such before the week began. I was informed on Friday that today the meeting would be at Tadase-kun's house, and Yaya-san gave me really obvious directions that looked like they had been written for a child. I scowled at them at the time, but now I knew I'd probably need them. The view I had just been admiring was a large one indeed, and God knew how I was supposed to get anywhere with my sense of direction- or lack thereof.

I was towel drying my hair, smelling strongly of sweet pumpkin pie in honour of autumn, and getting myself breakfast when Lilith asked an odd question.

"Snow?" She began. I turned from frying my bacon to look at her inquisitively. "Have you been feeling… _strange _at all?"

I snorted. "What, you mean besides giving birth to three eggs that magical little characters popped out of?" When she kept her serious face on, I relented the teasing. "I feel perfectly fine. Why do you ask?"

She opened her small, pink mouth like she wanted to say something, but Vivian's eyes that cut like shards of violet glass shut her up. She pressed her lips together, then suddenly transformed into the Lilith I was gradually getting used to, with the wild crimson hair and wicked grin. "Just wondering," she said with a snicker. "Things have been changing for you rapidly, is all. Plus you've got homework, your job, and your own house to clean now. It's a pretty big change."

I turned the stove off and mulled that over for a moment, tossing the subject around in my head like rolling a mint in my mouth. "I haven't really noticed," I murmured slowly with a slight shrug. "I've been doing stuff like this most of my life. Back in New Orleans, I helped Mary run the bakery when I got home earlier than Theresa and Nate. Plus I helped take care of the younger kids at the orphanage." I tapped my skull for a moment with a slight grin as I took in the sight of two thumb-sized girls casually sitting on the island, Vivian clutching her stuffed rabbit like a shield, Lilith sitting cross-legged despite the very short shorts. "I'm used to this stuff."

Taking the bacon out of the pan, I let it sit for a moment in a paper towel to drain the grease. While I waited, I toasted rye bread, sliced tomatoes and chopped lettuce, Lilith and Vivian watching in silence the entire time.

"It is kind of strange though," I continued, taking another break to scan my eyes over my whole apartment. "To be here without any other people with me. And I don't mean to be discriminate against you guys; it's just that you're still kind of foreign life forms to me." My eyes took in the small steps leading to the snug little living area, with new throw blankets and pillows arranged neatly on my couch and loveseat. "It's just weird to think that I'm not sharing this with anyone; I'm always going to be by myself here- except for you guys. It's nice, but at the same time, it's lonely, you know?"

"We know," the said in unison again, glaring at each other slightly.

I laughed and sat down at the island, hungrily tearing through my sandwich, just a mouse with a broken leg in my grasp while I was a ravenous eagle or something. Once finished, I chugged down a glass of milk, then checked the time. It was just a little past noon, and we were meeting at Tadase-kun's house at one. I figured it was better to leave now in case the trek took a while- or if I got lost.

I threw on a red scarf and my boots, casting a glance at Lilith. "Will you be cold?" I asked her.

Making a show out of her answer, she hugged herself and shivered. "Of course I will be. I'm so tiny the wind blows straight through me- or it can blow us away at times."

The thought was hilarious, and I burst into laughter, Vivian chortling along with me even though she could easily be stolen by forces of nature as well. With a scowl, Lilith stuffed herself between my scarf and neck to stay warm, and Vivian followed suit. It felt so strange to feel two very small beings breathing against me, to hear tiny hearts pounding in their chests. They were very much real and alive, and that fact really began to sink in when their bodies gradually began to heat up my neck with their natural heat, small as it was.

Smiling to myself, I shut off the lights, grabbed my purse, and locked the apartment door as I stepped out. A familiar face was following the same pattern as I was, and I smiled in greeting at him. "Good afternoon, Lee," I said cheerfully, my mood increasing bit by bit from the rut I was in when I awoke.

He smiled back at me, flashing straight, white teeth that any model would kill for. He was awfully attractive for an adult, I had to give him that. "Afternoon, Snow. Where are you headed today?"

I shrugged as we both started towards the elevator, finding it incredibly weird that he couldn't notice the small people snuggled up against my neck bickering at each other. "Some kids from my school and I are talking about club activities at one of their houses'."

"You've made friends at school?" He asked in confirmation. I thought for a moment, then nodded hesitantly. He flashed me another dazzling smile, his black hair falling into his eyes even though most of it was in a ponytail again. "That's good. Someone like you deserves them."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Someone like me?"

"You know," he began with a bit of an exaggerated eye roll. "Nice and polite. I notice you come home after school, go out, then come back later in the night. You're working, aren't you."

It wasn't a question, but I answered anyway. "Yeah. Got to pay the rent somehow."

"I've never seen a person so dedicated to hard work before."

We were in the elevator, that precise and crisp citrus scent lingering again. I pressed the button that would take us to the lobby, grinning to myself and saying, "Flattery will get you nowhere."

"I'm not trying to get anywhere," he said completely nonchalantly, like an adult like him being nice to me for no reason was an everyday thing. "I'm being serious. Someone still in school, working a job, and taking care of an apartment on their own? That's pretty impressive."

I flushed while nervously wringing out my hands. Lilith and Vivian were giving me a scrutinizing glare from where they clung to my scarf, and I ignored them. "I'm already an adult," I said simply with an impish grin. "I would've had to take care of myself eventually, anyway. I just got started earlier than most."

As soon as I said that, I began feeling immense regret. Not because I was embarrassed about saying it, not because it sounded like I was fishing for sympathy or anything. But because Lee suddenly got this look on his face that took my breath away and made empathy well up in my chest, a balloon with water pouring rapidly into it. His eyebrows slashed down and his jade eyes sparkled, filled to the brim with emotion and pain. His mouth turned down, altogether making him looked so devastated and _guilty _that I knew I couldn't even begin to understand what he was thinking about- nor did I want to.

"Is something wrong?" I asked softly, moving to- I don't know, touch his black sleeve in comfort or something. But I wasn't able to, since he glared down at my hand like I had just smeared it in wet paint or something, and I flinched and dropped it to my side. Had I done something wrong? Maybe I was being too familiar with him. I was an idiot. The atmosphere in the cramped space was suffocating and uncomfortable, and I couldn't wait for the ride to be over.

Thankfully, the ding of the elevator coming to its stop saved us from any more awkward silence. I practically scrambled out of it and was about to head for the exit, but then I felt a hand grab my elbow gently, like I was made out of glass and could break any second. I looked back incredulously to find that Lee had just stepped out after me and seemed to be looking at me in almost a pleading way.

"I… I just- nothing's wrong," he said finally, shaking his head adamantly. He dropped his hand and stared down at it like I really had rubbed something off on it, then clenched it into a fist. "I…"

He began purposely heading in the direction of the other exit, leaving me standing there, mouth agape in a dumbfounded way. "I'm so sorry," he called before he was out of sight, and my eyes widened just as his form ducked out of the other door.

What was he apologizing for? I barely knew the guy. Maybe it was because of his rude conduct just a minute or so ago? I had no clue, and I got this strange, wriggling feeling inside of my chest that told me I didn't want to know, either. Whatever was on his mind was none of my business, nor should it ever be. I shook my head adamantly, almost missing the suspicious glance my Shugo Chara shared, like they did know why a complete stranger was behaving like that towards me.

I exited the building quickly, not wanting to be late, when a voice came out of nowhere and scared me out of my skin: "What took you so long?"

My knees had given out from surprise, leaving me quivering on the ground as someone giggled above me and asked if I was alright. I glanced up frantically to find Nadeshiko-san standing above me, holding out a hand to help me up.

"Don't scare me like that," I hissed, standing on my own and brushing wet gravel from my knees. Her hand dropped slack to her side, just as Lee's had after he grabbed my arm, and an unwanted pang resounded in my chest.

"Sorry," she continued to giggle, her dark hair falling into her eyes slightly. She had it done slightly differently today, half-up and half-down, almost like mine. "But your reaction was well worth it." She must've just noticed the somewhat melancholic look on my face, because she sobered and her eyebrows drew down in worry. "Is something wrong? I really didn't mean to scare you that much."

"I know you didn't," I assuaged, smiling nervously. "Just… I was thinking about some things. Anyway, what brings you here?"

"Well," she began, placing her hands on her hips with a satisfied grin and nodding. "The other Guardians and I thought it might be a good idea for me to escort you to Hotori-kun's house today, since you're still relatively new to the city and…" She trailed off, sharing a glance with her Shugo Chara- Temari, I think?- and sparing my feelings.

Though there was no need to. I got the picture. I made a sour face and avoided her gaze. "And because my sense of direction is nonexistent. I get it."

She smiled at me in comfort. "Now, now, it's nothing to be ashamed of. No one has a perfect sense of direction. Plus, this will give us time to get to know one another! Doesn't that sound nice?"

I tried to smile, but it came out looking like a weak grimace. Completely unaffected, she simply laughed cheerily at my expression and began walking away. It made me uncomfortable to be walking next to a girl like her, her steps fluid and graceful while my walk was more of a stomp made to kill ants. I looked like a peasant next to her, if we were being honest, and I felt even more out of place when I saw the cream-coloured fall coat clinging to her slender frame like a second skin.

Heaving a sigh that ended up looking like a puff of steam in the apparently cold air, I pulled my crimson scarf further over my mouth and stared straight ahead.

"Hey," Nadeshiko-san said suddenly, shifting her gaze back to me and wearing a grin identical to Temari's.

In return, I raised an eyebrow. "Hiya."

"I have a question for you."

My eyes narrowed slightly as my eyelashes began to stick together from the cold. "Shoot."

"There's really no roundabout way to go about this, since you seem like you're the dense type," she began with a slight, girlish sigh, earning a surprised glare from me.

"Hey," I chirped, but she ignored me, and looked at me over her shoulder with a serious expression.

"Do you like Hotori-kun?"

"Uh…" _Why do I feel like she means that in a way I don't want to think about? _"I guess? He seems like a nice guy…"  
Her amber eyes darted heavenward. "I knew that was too indirect for you." I scowled at her. "What I meant was, do you _love_ him?"

I tripped over my own feet and fell to the ground.

The flow of human traffic behind me began sputtering and cussing as I held them up, navigating their way around me in a storming kind of way. Nadeshiko-san waited patiently for me to gather my bearings, which meant slowly forcing myself of the ground and looking at her incredulously.

"Why on God's green earth would you think _that?_" I demanded, glaring at her wildly. My Shugo Chara were none too pleased with my little tumble, their disgruntled forms hanging on for dear life at the low cut of my sweater.

Nadeshiko-san smiled like a wise woman, her eyes twinkling. "Well, just the way you act around him. You seem brighter around him, and you pay attention whenever he speaks, when it seems like you just ignore the rest of us." She rolled her eyes and snidely added, "Like we're purposely trying to annoy you."

"Oh," I murmured slowly, flushing in embarrassment. I had hurt their feelings by being the way I am. I avoided her gaze and said, "I'm sorry if I ever hurt your feelings." When she flashed a reassuring smile back at me, I switched gears to the matter at hand. "But _no, _I do not like him like that. I barely know the guy! I mean, sure, he is really cute, and just being around him makes me feel a lot better than I usually do, but-" I cut myself off when I saw Nadeshiko-san and all the Shugo Chara present grinning from ear-to-ear. "Oh, come on! It's not like I really know how to behave around guys in the first place."

She muttered something under her breath that sounded like "well you seem to be doing just fine". I ignored her and placed my hands on the curves of my hips as we kept walking. "Not like someone like me would stand a chance with him anyway."

I swore she made the very un-ladylike gesture of rolling her eyes at the comment. "Please. But if you insist, I won't push you for details." She stopped walking for a second, waited for me to catch up, then fell into step beside me with a friendly grin. "Just know that I'll support your decision. We are, after all, surrounded by fairly attractive guys."

"You can say that again."

"We are, after all, surrounded by-"

"Please stop, it's already too much."

As she giggled, I still felt tempted to correct her by saying that I wasn't really planning to like anyone around us, but then she saved me the trouble when her countenance darkened beyond recognition and her laughter ceased. "Except for if you're interested in Ikuto Tsukiyomi-san. Then I don't think I'll be able to cheer you on."

Almost losing my footing again, my face flushed inexplicably and I groped for words. "Wh-why would I ever want to start liking him?" I demanded, my breathing coming out more quickly and my steps increasing in speed along with it.

She cast me a wry look. "You knew each other before you even met us Guardians." It wasn't a question.

I could only blink as the red drained from my face. "Well, yeah. But it was pure coincidence." Hesitating for a moment, I carefully added, "We're not even friends or anything…"

Letting my gaze travel to hers for a moment, I saw that she had a very pensive look on her gentle face, her full mouth set in a grim line. Her eyes flicked to mine, and only then did I notice with astonishment that we were around the same height. "Are you sure it was only a coincidence?"

"What do you mean?" I asked through narrowed eyes. Though I had already considered the possibility I knew she was about to voice, it was still kind of a shock to hear out loud, since I didn't really believe it given the circumstances.

"I mean, what if he sensed your eggs before they were even born and purposely got closer to you?"

"Somehow I doubt he even thought of that," I said, a heavy sigh ripping straight from my throat. "But then again, what do I know about him? Not a whole lot, to be honest. Can I be frank with you?" I asked suddenly, and even though we weren't really friends, I still wanted her to know what I really thought.

One of her dark, plucked eyebrows rose. "Please do."

"Honestly, I don't really think Ikuto is really all that malevolent. I mean yeah, he works for Easter, and they're the whole rival vying to get the Embryo against you guys… _us…_ but he's only one person in the entire company. I'm not sticking up for him or anything, because I have no clue what he's done, but what if he thinks differently from the rest? What if he doesn't _want _to hunt for the Embryo?"

She was giving me an odd, curious look. "Why are you so adamant about defending him like that?"

Since I didn't know myself, I could only shrug.

She heaved a graceful sigh. "Your compassion will be your undoing," she warned, and I nodded mutely, sincerely hoping I wasn't wrong.

Sensing that I had nothing else to say, Nadeshiko-san dropped the subject, but she still looked thoughtful about it. I rolled my eyes. Was there some unwritten rule that all teenagers had to fall for someone no matter what? Because if there was, I was breaking it, and I had been for a while. Nor did I plan to develop feelings for anyone soon… I think.

"We're here," Nadeshiko-san suddenly said, startling me out of my teen (adult?) angst. We had gradually navigated away from the more modernized area of the city and were in of a more residential neighbourhood with large, manor-styled houses, all beautiful on their own, but the mountainous juggernaut of a house in front of us took the cake.

I had never seen anything like Tadase-kun's- or Tadase-_sama_'s, from its obvious sign of wealth- house before, so large and extravagant it seemed more like an oriental-styled mansion than just a _house_. It was enclosed in a large gate that covered the perimeter of the lot in a square shape, all in monochromatic colours of black, white, and gray. The house itself was a main building with multiple open hallways leading to smaller ones in a maze, complete with dark, rounded shingles on the pagoda-peaked roof. For some unfathomable reason, I could hear water trickling from within the gate, and was so intimidated I felt tempted to turn tail and run.

"Well" was all I managed to choke out.

Nadeshiko-san grinned at me, clearly amused and pleased at my reaction. "Marvelous, isn't it?"

"That's… one word to use." Another one I'd use was terrifying. While the structure itself was totally refined, impressive, and altogether very unique, it seemed like the kind of place where a Japanese slash flick would take place. The fact that one of my movie escapades with Mao was _The Grudge _wasn't really helping any.

She smiled at me in that kind, comforting way again, and strolled up to the gate like this could've been her own house. There was a high-tech system that involved cameras, speakers, multi-coloured buttons, and a buzzer that I didn't even try to understand, but Nadeshiko-san walked up and pressed one easily without even having to think about it. After a few frantic heartbeats of mine, a crackly, mechanical voice spoke from one of the speakers: "Come in".

"Do we have to?" I whispered to my only human companion, earning me an exaggerated roll of her eyes.

"Lighten up," she sang cheerily as she pushed the heavy wooden gate open, and I got the distinct impression that I was entering a mighty fortress.

Now that we were inside of the premises, I know what the tinkling water was all about. A small coruscating pond flowed throughout the area, a small wooden bridge built over it that began a path to the main house. Rock gardens swirled like mandalas on the ground, bordered by flourishing plants bursting with colour that looked very exotic. As I stood dumbfounded in the entrance, Nadeshiko-san nonchalantly walked- or maybe danced was a better word, for her grace- across the wooden arched bridge, and I managed to drag my feet after her, looking dazed and lost. Lilith and Vivian squeezed out from my scarf to dart around and inspect everything with a child's curiosity, and they looked fairly impressed. When I flicked my eyes to them to make sure they weren't disturbing any shit in this small paradise, they both grinned, raised their eyebrows, and gave me a suggestive thumbs-up.

I flipped them the bird while a blush covered my face as I got what they were implying. _"Good choice." _Pricks.

Since the manners around this place were indefinitely more refined, I followed Nadeshiko-san's example and kicked off my shoes before climbing onto the maze-like porch and following her down multiple hallways I didn't even bother to remember. Since she was able to navigate her way around easily, I theorized that she came around here quite often. It was clear- even to me- that this fact perturbed me, because my footfalls that were already creaking on the ancient wooden floors became heavier and louder. Although the reason why was incomprehensible to me.

Vivian and Lilith floated into space beside me, smug expressions on their faces. I narrowed my eyes into slits. "What?"

"Nothing," the small black-haired girl sang, making snickers erupt from her crimson-headed sister. That just made me all the more suspicious, but I figured I didn't even want to know.

Nadeshiko-san finally stopped in front of a sliding door within the main home, the walls covered with papery scenes depicting a serene day at a creek, with long cattails swaying in a painted breeze and cranes delicately making their way throughout water that was made into wavy patterns. Various types of flowers were placed on tables all throughout the hall, much like the floor of my apartment, and made the scents of lilies and jasmine flow throughout the hall. Before I even had time to react, she was sliding the door open and saying, "Good day, everyone."

The Guardians all chorused back their greetings, Kukai-kun's painfully informal, Yaya-san's cheery and childish, and Tadase-kun's polite and caring. I found myself blushing as I regarded him sitting on his knees on the floor, at his gentle features and thin form. I had to avert my gaze before I was caught staring, but everyone but the guy in question noticed and was smirking at me. _Goddammit._

"Welcome to the first out-of-school Guardians meeting, Hisayuki-san," Tadase-kun greeted as I was forced to sit beside him since Nadeshiko-san took the only other available spot around the kotatsu by Yaya-san. I considered her a traitor.

"Thanks," I mumbled, and we were about to get started from the way Tadase-kun awkwardly shuffled paperwork, but then the closed door suddenly slid open again, and a very solid and intimidating man with light hair and a stern face stood in the entryway. He wore a crisp suit like he was readying to go out somewhere, and I knew from the striking resemblance (the eye colour, angle of the nose, soft cheekbones) that this man had to be Tadase-kun's father.

"I'm going out for a while," he said flatly, straightening his tie. He took in the group surrounding his son, nodded in greeting, then completely froze when he met my gaze. I didn't even know that guy, but I could sense that it was a rare occurrence for something to take him by surprise- and yet my presence did.

"Gabriel…?" He murmured softly, distantly, his head cocking to the side slightly and making his gelled hair come slightly askew.

I could only stare at him with a slightly slack jaw. Where _hadn't _my father been?

Considering the possibility that I may have to get to know this man from hanging around his son a lot, and the Guardians regarding me curiously, I smiled politely and responded simply, "No, sir, I'm Gabriel Hisayuki's daughter, Snow. Pleased to meet you."

His expression fell slightly, like he honestly expected me to be my father turned woman, then brightened again. "A pleasure. I'm Tadase's father, Yui Hotori." He gestured to his son with a jerk of his head, and he seemed to flush in embarrassment. "I don't know if your father ever told you about me, but we were good friends in University. Both studied law for a bit. How is he doing, anyway? I haven't seen him since he moved out to New Orleans with Audrey."

Audrey Hisayuki (formerly Fallon) was my mother's name, and she was apparently one of the kindest people you'd ever come across back in the day. I thought it was fully justified that I found that hard to believe.

But in response to Yui-san's question, as far as I was concerned… "He's dead, sir."

I almost felt bad for saying what I believed to be true from the stricken expression on his face. He must've really known and been close with my father, since it seemed like that one sentence tore a chunk out of his formal pretense and left a defenseless and lost man standing shell-shocked in the doorway of his son's room, who was looking between him and I worriedly.

"I'm… so sorry," he finally managed to breathe, his voice rough. "When…?"

"When I was five." I paused for a moment to see that there weren't any working gears in his brain at the moment. "Thirteen years ago. And it's perfectly alright; I know he was a great man, and I'm sure he'd have wanted to see you again, but there were… extenuating circumstances." Not that I knew what they were. I just felt awful for saying something like my father's supposed death point-blank when this man clearly cared about him a lot. I wish he'd told me about Yui-san; or maybe he did and I just didn't remember.

"Give your mother my condolences," he said finally, bowing his head slightly to me, smiling briefly at his son, then exiting the room.

_I'd love to if she hadn't gone batshit crazy after he disappeared. _But I left it at that and focused on the paperwork in front of me. All of the Guardians were sensing that I probably didn't want to talk about it, and they didn't push me for information like I knew they wanted to. I found the gesture very sweet, and even though I still didn't feel like I deserved it, I was happy to be amongst them.

"Ahem," Tadase-kun cleared his throat, pushing his feelings for his father and his questions for me aside with visible effort. "Anyway, let's call this meeting to order."

For the first few minutes, the meeting consisted of a weekly review of the events that had happened in the school that were worth mentioning, upcoming events like the sports festival at the end of next week, and any suggestions that had been submitted to them (us?) that needed to be looked over. Even though I was fairly new at this, and this was my first official meeting, I listened attentively and took as many mental notes as I was able.

And then they got to the part where the addressed me as a new member.

I shifted nervously as their gazes automatically travelled to me. Not knowing what else to say, a forced an awkward smile on my face that came out more like a grimace and hunched my shoulders forward, like a complete coward.

Tadase-kun smiled in assurance at me, and all of the Guardians somehow ended up smirking, along with the Shugo Charas. Instead of having to meet their suggestive glances, I turned my eyes to the table in front of me, letting Tadase-kun's voice register in my mind in a concrete, absolute way.

"You have a very special position, Hisayuki-san," he began, his red-brown eyes gleaming seriously.

"Especially after that little show on Friday," Kukai-kun cut in, waggling his eyebrows at me. I waved him away dismissively.

"This position has never been filled before," Tadase-kun continued, casting a dry look at the spirited redhead, who only grinned in return. "Since no one else has been powerful enough to resonate with the Humpty Lock. But now you're here, and you have three Shugo Chara and the Humpty Lock, so the Joker chair of the Guardians can be filled."

"The Joker has a very important job," Yaya-san piped in, her high voice still completely cheerful despite the serious conversation occurring. "One that none of us can do. Your job is to purify X-eggs, just like you did with Weiss Yota-san."

I was desperately trying to keep my emotions in check now, for I barely had any idea how I purified that X-egg the first time. I remembered that it involved my whip (ugh) and my _feelings,_ but how the process actually worked was unbeknownst to me. I guessed I was still having trouble with the whole "magic exists and doesn't involve science" thing.

"Before you go getting all flustered," Nadeshiko-san said suddenly, seeing the look of panic on my face. "Don't fret. We'll do our best to train and help you however we can. We're all in this together."

A warm smile spread across my face. This sense of companionship was so foreign and wonderful to me, finally seeing the light of day after an eternity of night. I had never felt so accepted- _welcomed, _even- before, and for the first time I felt like I actually belonged. The Guardians allowed me a private moment of thought as I pondered over this, thinking about how depressing I had actually become. I had been so used to pain and loneliness that anything bright and kind was like a completely new concept to me. I resolved to try and become less of a downer and more of a person these nice people could rely on.

But Nadeshiko-san's words, "we're all in this together", reminded me of something I had yet to affirm. I wiped the grin off my face and asked, "Why do you guys want the Embryo, anyway? Do you have some kind of wish?"

They all exchanged a glance, and everyone eventually ended up staring down Tadase-kun. He flushed in embarrassment and fidgeted slightly. "Well…"

Kukai-kun looked heavenward, and suddenly got this look of an epiphany on his face. He edged closer to Tadase-kun and I slightly and whispered something to him that sounded faintly like "prints". Just as I was wondering what the hell they were talking about, Tadase-kun stopped talking and got what would be considered a dark look on his face if it was anyone else, and Kiseki looked strangely… excited? The other girls just rolled their eyes, and Yaya-san started to giggle.

"Prince?" Tadase-kun repeated, and that made even less sense than my first idea. I just scowled at him next to me, then he suddenly burst away from the kotatsu and stood up laughing maniacally, a small golden crown appearing on his head from nowhere. "Don't call me something as insulting as a 'Prince'! I am the KING!"

He took one glance at me, snorted, then said, "Peasant."

_What the fuck? _He was acting like a completely different, haughty person! Not to mention he called me a friggin' peasant. I stood up as quickly as he had, fists clenched at my sides, and was only just held back by Kukai-kun clamping his warm hands down on my arms and holding me in place.

"Sorry, Hisayuki," he muttered, his expression amused. "He can't really control what he says when he's Character Changed… plus, it's my fault for triggering it." Though he didn't look the least bit repentant.

Yaya-san was still giggling like the little girl I was beginning to believe she was. "Hey, Tadase," she sang. "Why do you want to get the Embryo?"

The douchebag King flipped back his long, light bangs with a snort. A smirk twisted on his face and his voice dripped with superiority as he said, "Only to take over the world, of course!"

Speechless for a moment, my steeled arms fell slack in Kukai-kun's grasp, making him let go, turn around, and start busting a gut at my reaction. Tadase-kun wanted to… _take over the world?_ My mouth began moving mechanically, weird, strangled noises coming out, as the King began to laugh like a true man that was going to try and achieve world domination.

"_ARE YOU INSANE?"_ I demanded, and now everyone was laughing their asses off. "Why are you _supporting this?! _You guys really are crazy!"

"It's something to do," Kukai-kun shrugged, much to my dismay.

"Plus it's fun, don't you think?" Yaya-san added cheerfully, grinning broadly and poking one of her girly cheek dimples with her forefinger as if to say _teehee._

They actually believed they could do it. They really thought taking over the world like some crazy-ass tyrant was possible. I was shaking my head adamantly, completely bewildered by these people. I turned on my heel and began heading for the door, saying, "I'm out."

But then somebody's hand was gripping mine tightly, and I looked down in horror to see Nadeshiko-san smiling up at me like a clown that had just committed homicide. "No turning back now."

From there, everything seemed to go downhill very quickly. I had to be forcefully wrestled and pinned to the ground so I couldn't try and run by Nadeshiko-san and Kukai-kun, Tadase-kun was still laughing like a complete psychopath, Yaya-san was almost suffocating from giggling so much, and my Charas were too busy fighting with the others and each other to even try to help me (not that they would, anyway). Everyone was screaming obscurities at each other, and the wooden floor was digging into my face painfully since Kukai-kun was holding it there. From the way it was burning, I knew the spaces between panels would leave an imprint.

Eventually things settled down, starting with Tadase-kun's Character Change coming undone. From there he was the peacemaker and mercifully requested that Nadeshiko-san and Kukai-kun get the hell off of me (only in a more respectful way). I remained on the floor in a deathly silence as they tore apart the Charas and smacked Yaya-san lightly to make her stop laughing, and they were all breathing heavily by the end of the whole escapade.

"Hisayuki-san," Tadase-kun panted lightly. "You can get up now."

I didn't want to be a part of a freak show. But I had already agreed to help, and I never went back on my word. Besides, they couldn't… really be serious. I mean, the whole idea of world conquest was way over any adult's head, let alone a teenager's. So I took a deep breath and pushed myself off the floor, making my Charas start spewing more laughter at the imprint on my face.

"Ahem," I coughed awkwardly as I used two fingers to mash their faces on the table. "Regarding what just happened. So that was Tadase-kun's Character Change." I took a deep breath so I didn't begin flipping out like I normally would have when someone seemed to have schizophrenia. "I can see that." Considering Kiseki was just like that on a regular basis. "But how was it triggered?" I looked pointedly at Kukai-kun.

He shrugged. "If someone says something that their Chara doesn't like or approve of, or their master is making them angry, they'll automatically take over and try to change the situation, such is their nature. In Tadase's case, when you call him the 'P' word, Kiseki doesn't like that and proclaims that 'he's the king'."

"And don't you forget it, Peasant," the latter snorted, this smug little smirk on his face.

I wasn't particularly fond of being called a peasant. "Well, do you guys know why Easter wants to get the Embryo? Why they're your… our enemies?"

The mood in the room darkened so much that it was a heavy fog flowing in through the windows and making everyone's faces fall. Tadase-kun's was the most notable, his expression torn between something like pain and contempt. The look didn't suit his normally light and cheerful disposition, and the sudden change disturbed me more than it should have.

"Nothing good," he said with a shake of his head. "We were told about the Embryo by the headmaster. And once we started looking for it, there they were, already skulking around and using dirty means to find it."

"What… dirty means?" I was almost afraid to ask. The image of Ikuto suddenly popped into my head, when I left him looking awfully forlorn at Starbucks yesterday. I tried to shake it off, but it remained even after Tadase-kun continued.

"Deliberately turning someone's egg into an X." His russet eyes seemed to glint dangerously as he said the next thing. "Destroying X-eggs."

"What happens when someone's egg is destroyed?" Lilith gave me a look like she had explained it before, and she must have, but I wanted to hear it from someone who may have watched it happen.

"To put it simply," Vivian suddenly chimed in, her voice low and cryptic. Everyone turned to look down at her. "They begin living as if they are already dead."

"That's exactly right," Nadeshiko-san continued, her mouth formed into a deep frown. "They lose what their eggs are composed of: their dreams. They have no ambitions, no hope, no future. It happens all the time as people get older, but doing it deliberately is like pure evil." She shook her head, inky hair flying like lashes of night. "If there were no dreams or ambitions, we wouldn't have the society we do today. You never know; destroying one person's egg may just mean destroying a vital part of humankind's future. Like, what if they were to invent something important? Change the world in some small way? It is never worth the risk, and the holder goes through a lot of pain. Like getting their heart ripped right out of their chest."

Depressing as it was, I could probably sympathize with the broken-egged people, in terms of living as if you were already dead. There was a horrible hollow feeling in your chest, like there was a gaping hole that someone could actually put their hand through without any trouble. Doing that to someone intentionally was horrible, inhuman even. But… did Easter really do that? I didn't think the Guardians were lying or anything; it was just hard for me to imagine people doing that on purpose.

This only fired me up to try and do my new job as "Joker". The Guardians were telling me to save people in a way only I could right now. It didn't matter if the job was hard. It didn't matter if I thought I wasn't capable of doing it correctly. What mattered was that I at least tried to prevent people from suffering the same kind of emptiness I did when I was young. I was beginning to understand I had a new responsibility as the new Humpty Lock owner to use it in the way it was meant to be used. I had to save people from losing themselves before they even found them.

Lilith and Vivian were smiling up at me as if they approved of my internally-made decision, which was most likely the case considering they liked to eavesdrop on my thoughts in total disregard of my right to privacy.

"So you see it's a necessity to get the Embryo before they do," Tadase-kun murmured with a tone of finality. "Who knows why they even want it. But I can assure you that it's nothing good."

I nodded in understanding, and he flashed his regular charming smile at me. Though there was one thing that kept consistently bothering me. I couldn't just ignore the other side of things. Why were the people working for Easter doing this voluntarily? Was there a goal they all hoped to achieve together? Or… maybe they each had their separate goals. This was a mega-corporation, after all; there had to be something to this whole mystery, something the Guardians were overlooking because they were too busy doing their own duties.

While I was overthinking again and trying to work out this Rubrics' cube in my head, Yaya-san had adeptly snuck behind me, and suddenly I was yanked into a tight backwards hug, her thin arms wrapped like vises around my neck. My eyes widened in complete befuddlement. I barely knew her- what was she doing being like this? But then I overlooked her personality (or what I've seen of it, anyway) and figured that it was just Yaya-san's way.

"Don't worry, don't worry!" She cheered in my ear, and I couldn't figure out why she repeated it. "We're all Guardians now, and we'll never be alone. We can find the Embryo together for sure, and we can make Tadase's dream come true!"

"Unreasonable as it may be," Nadeshiko-san added with a roll of her eyes.

"Besides," Kukai-kun added, leaning back so his long, athletic legs stretched out all over the floor. "Even though we just met, we're already buddies, aren't we, Hisayuki?"

I grinned at them, even flashing teeth. "Yeah," I agreed. "We're already buddies."

"Yay!" Yaya-san began strangling me, intentionally or not unknown to me. As I choked to death, she squealed in my ear, "Can I call you Snow-chi?"

"You may not," I hacked.

"I'm gonna anyway! Because we're all friends now!"

Even though Yaya-san said that, and even though I was surrounded by warm, smiling faces that welcomed me into their circle even though I was a stranger, I got the strangest feeling of presentiment. It was the same feeling I got when I walked into that dark, seemingly empty house when I was five and knew something was awry. I had no idea what it could mean. But it sent chills down my spine despite Yaya-san's warm arms around me and my resistance to cold, and my Charas grins faded.

We all knew something was about to begin. But I felt like I was the only one who didn't know what.

**_Crimrose: Well. That kind of left on a depressing note._**

**_Snow: Are you SURE I'm not a Mary Sue or whatever? Because it's beginning to look like it, and I find that offensive._**

**_Crimrose: *Shrug* I dunno. You are what you are. And that's the direction most of my characters seem to drift towards, no? I mean, look at Aileen and Valerie. They were miserable._**

**_*SPONTANEOUS VALERIE*: 'Scuse me, I find myself pretty happy-go-lucky, thank you very much. I made a snowman for no good reason and named it the Baron of Frost._**

**_Crimrose: Please leave._**

**_Ikuto: Who is THAT? I've never seen her._**

**_Valerie: *Carefully scans him up and down* Heh. I'm whoever you want me to be._**

**_Snow: You did not._**

**_Crimrose: My cat is snoring, and I don't know whether or not to be worried._**

**_Ikuto: You guys are a riot. Really, I'm having a blast here._**

**_Crimrose: No, it's just REALLY LOUD, and I don't-_**

**_Snow: OH-KAY I think that's enough banter for one day. Please leave a review, and we'll try to get the next chapter up more quickly. Promise! ＼_****_(＾▽＾_****_*)_**

**_Crimrose: SERIOUSLY DO I NEED TO CALL A VET OR IS THIS NORMAL I'M SO CONCERNED_**


End file.
